Government’s infrastructure advisers call for long-term rail plan

The National Infrastructure Commission (NIC) says the Government needs to flesh out its railway proposals in northern England and the Midlands following the cancellation of High Speed 2 north of Birmingham, and produce a long-term plan for rail.

The commission’s Infrastructure Progress Review 2024, published on May 16, notes that funding diverted from the cancelled northern leg of HS2 has been earmarked for local transport budgets, but the authors say a detailed replacement plan is needed to improve train services in the North and Midlands, “with greater specificity regarding the scope, cost, benefits and schedule for the schemes individually and as a package.”

In a dedicated chapter on railways, they comment: “Without improvements, capacity could act as a constraining factor on growth in cities in the North and Midlands, such as Birmingham, Manchester and Leeds. “Both connectivity and capacity issues are being compounded by poor reliability and frequent knock-on delays, affecting many of the same locations,” they continue.

To address these issues, the authors call on the government to develop a long-term plan for rail with a steady delivery pipeline, as part of an integrated interurban transport strategy, adding that an adaptive strategy “should facilitate, rather than postpone, key decisions.”

The call was welcomed by the Railway Industry Association, representing rail suppliers. RIA Chief Executive Darren Caplan said: “A visible long-term pipeline of rail renewals and enhancements is crucial for local authorities and the supply chain, to be able to plan and attract private investment. …we urge policy makers both now and in the future to heed this call, make decisions and stick to them.”

The NIC review covers energy, digital communications, water and waste as well as transport.