Integrated National Transport Strategy - speech by Transport Secretary Louise Haigh

Thank you so much Tracy, it is testament to your leadership, and indeed our friendship that a South Yorkshire girl is launching a national strategy in Leeds today.

Thank so much everyone for joining us today.

The strength of the strategy we are launching depends on capturing the ideas and experiences of everyone in this room and many more around the country who will have important contributions to make.

Before I get into the strategy itself I wanted to share a little bit about what motivates me in this job.

There is sometimes a rather singular view of transport, that it's perhaps not that high on the political agenda, that it is quite often a series of bin fires valiantly being tackled by a gang of hobbyists who really, really love trains.

And do you know what, there's a bit of truth to that. And that's OK, because we need people who really love – and understand – trains.

But that's not me. I do not have a model railway in my attic and, despite living in Sheffield, I don't own an anorak.

So what excites me to take this on? Because what animates me is people.

It's making people's day-to-day lives better.

And breaking down the barriers that hold too many people across our country back.

And transport is at the heart of how we're going to do that.

It isn't an add on or a backwater, or an afterthought, it is the beating heart that powers this country.

And if it starts and ends with people, as I believe it must, then the question the system must address is where should power lie?

My answer to this is simple and straightforward – with the people who use our transport system every single day.

This government is not interested in hoarding power in Whitehall. I no more want to be running an entire railway than I want a train set in my attic.

Instead, this government is putting power back at the local level – through the English Devolution White Paper, led by my colleague the Deputy Prime Minister…

Through our Bus Services Bill, that will empower locally designed and controlled networks…

And through bringing our railways back into public ownership.

And our integrated strategy will support local leaders to use these powers to drive better outcomes for the people they are elected to serve.

All politicians – particularly in our Labour movement – stand on the shoulders of giants. Me more than most.

My giant, funnily enough, was a red haired female, lefty Transport Secretary, who grew up in Yorkshire….

It's been over 50 years since my political hero, Barbara Castle, set out her vision for integrated transport in the 1968 Transport Act.

At its core was never a battle of car against train, or bus against tram – but a vision of a coherent transport network that gave people real choice.

A system in local hands, run by local leaders, and which met the needs of local people.

And a system that, in her words, was integral to all other planning – economy, housing, environment – you name it, transport enabled it.

Here, in West Yorkshire, her ideas were brought to life.

The regional Passenger Transport Executive coordinated bus and train, unified fares, and created a consistent brand – people always knew where they were when they saw those cream and green Metro buses.

And we only need to look at the great work happening with the Bee Network in Greater Manchester and TfL in London to see how integrated transport, with a distinct local feel, is improving people's lives.

But the work of integration remains unfinished.

What was a clear vision 50 years ago was thrown away in the 80s and 90s through deregulation and privatisation.

It wasn't just that the trains and buses were privatised. Power was privatised too.

Local leaders were bereft of the right levers…. With terrible, real, human consequences. Because when power is privatised, it's the people that suffer.

Take Dunster's Farm – a wholesalers in Bury and a good employer that pays the living wage. Yet late shift workers sleep in the staff room because there's no night time public transport to get them home.

Or Toby Mildon, a disabled passenger, who was forced to endure a six hour journey from London to Dundee with no accessible toilets.

I think the tragedy behind those stories is that we have become inured to them, we accept that transport simply doesn't work, and it won't meet our needs.

But the ambition that drove my predecessors 50 years ago and that has been realised in so many cities across the globe can be revived and it can be achieved here.

There's one big difference between Barbara and I.

Where she was committed to central planning and driving change from the top, I know that that can't work.

I am inspired by the work of a new generation of thinkers and behavioural economists, like Pete Dyson and Rory Sutherland in their work Transport for Humans.

They envisage transport that unashamedly puts the needs of people first….

That can be the means to greater opportunity and healthier communities ….

And that will drive the economic growth this government has made its central mission.

Now, I'm never embarrassed to nick a good idea when I see one and if we look beyond our shores, we can see what's possible and bring inspiration back home.

I visited Dijon earlier this year; a city with 164,000 residents, roughly the size of Chester. Its fully integrated transport network is reliable, efficient and effective. And they built it, essentially, from scratch.

It has succeeded in driving down congestion and pollution because when you build a genuinely integrated transport network people choose to use it.

Technology is helping Dijon iron out the wrinkles in the system that can put people off using public transport.

They are moving to a system where you can use your phone to pay even if it had run out of battery.

Tickets and car parking are priced dynamically depending on levels of air pollution.

A single app brings together every mode of transport – from bus to tram, car hire to bike hire, planning your journey to paying for parking.

With a range of options at your fingertips, no wonder bus and tram journeys have increased by 40% in Dijon.

And as I said, Dijon is a city about the size of Chester and so a comparison is begged. Where Dijon is attracting more and more of its residents to public transport, Chester has seen bus usage fall by over 14%.

Why does Dijon's transport system work whilst Chester's has not?

It's because in Dijon the city has the power to make the changes it needs.

It has appointed a single organisation, in this case the private sector organisation, Keolis, to run the whole system, a body that the city can hold to account and a body that is empowered to drive progress.

Our integrated strategy will empower local leaders to design and build their own, region-specific networks.

Today is not about infrastructure – important as that is.

This government will publish an infrastructure strategy in the spring – that will set out our priorities for the next decade in transport, provide certainty to the supply chain, and help unlock private investment.

And whilst I'm firmly committed to getting the infrastructure that we need….

…what we need is a people-first approach to guide our infrastructure thinking, for the real change we need in transport.

Which brings me to today's event, and why, here in Leeds, I am kickstarting the work for England's first Integrated National Transport Strategy, which I will publish next year.

I want people's needs to be at the heart of how we plan, build and operate transport.

That must begin with the outcomes we want:

• People living and working where they want,
• Travelling in the way they want,
• Accessing housing, hospitals, schools and other services they need,
• And deprived communities opening economic doors that were previously closed to them…

By starting with what we want to achieve, we can design transport systems that enable that vision.  

This people-led approach requires the most radical culture shift in transport thinking in generations.

It includes changing how we measure value for money – so more weight is given to transport projects that enhance access to jobs, boost productivity, and help businesses grow - particularly in less affluent areas.

That is why I'm planning to reform our appraisal system, so we deliver not just good value for money, but the right outcomes too.

Now, I know what some of you may be thinking.

Yet another strategy written by Whitehall for Whitehall.

But this will be different in three ways.  

Firstly, because I want people's views to shape it.

So, today I am launching a call for ideas on how we can make transport work better.

This will be followed by a series of regional roadshows early next year – so we can hear directly from local leaders, transport operators, passenger bodies and local people.

And once ready, the strategy will be delivered by a new Integrated Transport Commissioner, who I will be recruiting soon.

Secondly, the strategy will address concerns many local leaders have raised.

So let me reassure those in the room….

It will create a single national vision of how integrated transport systems should work together.

But it will then empower local leaders to design their local transport to meets specific local needs and address problems and pinch points in their areas.

It will build on, not cut across, the fantastic work already taking place….

And today, I'm backing our Mayors across the country even further.

By confirming that they will be given a statutory role in governing, the managing, the planning and developing of Great British Railways network.

This will ensure our local leaders can create the right transport networks that deliver for local areas.

So my message today is simple: the Integrated National Transport Strategy will be your tool to design ambitious, joined up and better transport….

To share your ideas and best practice with others…. .

And this government will remove every obstacle in your way.

Finally, the strategy will be underpinned by the latest technology, behavioural science and data.

Even though many journeys span different modes and different areas….

Often local authorities and operators are not incentivised to think beyond their own remits.

That's why, for example, I want to use technology to combine huge amounts of transport data across the country…..

So that people can enjoy seamless, integrated, and accessible journeys – tailored to their needs, wherever they live.

I'd like to end by painting a picture of just what this could look like in practice.

Firstly, a transport system that works together – and that people trust.

This could mean buying one ticket, at the best price, across a range of options. Local transport looking and feeling like one brand, with timetables that are aligned – so your bus doesn't leave 5 minutes before your train pulls in.

Secondly, a transport system for everyone.

Where, across the network, accessibility is designed in as standard. We can make it easier to get on and off services and build a safer and more secure network, particularly for women and girls.

Thirdly, a transport system that's sustainable.

Walking and cycling should be the best choice for shorter journeys. Where pavements and cycle tracks are in good repair and people can enjoy expanded hire schemes for bikes and e-scooters.

And finally, a transport system for the whole country.

For many, especially in rural areas, driving will remain the only practical choice.

I want these journeys to be smoother and more predictable – from using data to manage traffic flows, to helping drivers easily find, and pay for, parking spaces.  

Like our brilliant mayors, I'm in this business to make people's lives better. And transport can genuinely do that. It can be transformative.

But this will require nothing short of a revolution.

Bringing together a fragmented system of different operators, incentives and responsibilities will take time.

But we've rightly set an ambitious timeframe, because people deserve improvements as quickly as possible.

The revolution that I am asking for your help in is to wrestle back power over transport in service of the people using it.

Together we can finally deliver on the promise of Barbara Castle's vision, 50 years ago.

Together we can show the world that this country – once a pioneer of public transport – still has the know-how and the will to reclaim our role as a global leader in people-first transport.

Together we can build a transport system that genuinely works for the British people, and I can't wait to get started on working with you all to achieve it.