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· Government
is expanding the network to unlock jobs and growth
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· Restoring
capacity lost under British Rail could boost growth around key
towns and cities
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· Plans
include Government commitment to accelerate the restoration of
the rail link between Oxford and Cambridge
Transport Secretary wants to identify new
transport projects that will unlock economic growth and housing
development across the country, ease crowded commuter routes and
meet future demand.
These could include rail services lost under the Beeching and
British Rail cuts of the 1960s and 1970s where – if restored –
these could kick-start crucial housing developments or help
create new economic opportunities.
The plans will be set out in the Government’s upcoming new rail
strategy Connecting People: a strategic vision for
rail, which will detail future plans for the network.
Transport Secretary said:
“Rail travel has transformed over the last twenty years and our
railways are carrying twice as many passengers as they did before
privatisation.
“Many commuter services are full and getting busier and
passengers know how much pressure the network is under.
“We are already investing in the biggest modernisation of
railways for over a century to help people travel more quickly
and in greater comfort. But we need a new way of working to
help our railway deal with the challenges it faces.
“We need to expand our network to unlock jobs and housing growth
across the country. We’re already accelerating plans to reopen
the railway line from Oxford to Cambridge. Now I want to see how
we can expand other parts of the network to help make Britain fit
for the future.”
Rail travel has transformed since privatisation – doubling the
number of journeys taken by passengers and generating almost £6
billion in investment in our railways.
But much of our railway is operating on the edge of what it can
cope with, making it challenging to give passengers the punctual,
reliable services that they expect.
The Government is therefore looking at opportunities to restore
lost services where they unlock development and growth, and offer
value for money.
The Government is already driving forward progress on the East
West railway line to link Oxford to Cambridge and is establishing
a company to develop proposals, secure private sector investment
and restore the link.
The line will help create the UK’s own centre for technology
and science, and support the construction of thousands of new
homes while boosting connections between East Anglia and central,
southern and western England.
The Government now wants to identify the next generation of
schemes which could transform towns and regions and support
housing development – and will work with local partners to help
them find the support and expertise they need to develop
proposals.
All proposals will need to demonstrate strong business cases
where they are seeking Government funding.
More journeys are now made on the rail network than at any time
since its peak in 1919, but on a much smaller network. Extra
services and longer trains on networks including Northern Rail,
West Midlands, South-West, Southern and Thameslink are helping to
meet demand.
By 2021 there will be more than 5,500 new carriages on the
network, with an average of 17 new carriages being built every
week between now and 2020.
Dr Richard Beeching was a chairman of British Railways whose
report The Reshaping of British Railways in the early 1960s led
to over the cut of 4,000 route miles from the network.
