Tabitha J.’s Post

The Great British Railway! 🚂 We've all heard about it, but what is it and what is it going to achieve⁉ The answer is no one (including the DfT) knows! 😕 "Six years of UK rail reform has ‘achieved very little’, say MPs" as reported by the Financial Times. They report that MPs say they have not seen any evidence that plans for Great British Railways, the new public body intended to oversee services and infrastructure, would be any different from previous reform attempts over the past 20 years... 😳 MPs have concluded that "no one is putting the needs of passengers and taxpayers first" 🤯 Does anyone have faith in GBR and what it is trying to achieve? 🤔 Bryony Stamper Nathan Holcroft Callum Munn Caitlyn Fisher Oliver Gooch Blayne Cahill Brooke Stell Amy West Olivia Woods #GBR #railreform #financialtimes #DtF #railindustry #railnews

The UK’s railways have been in dire need of an overhaul for years, but things are finally in motion. A Draft Rail Reform Bill has proposed creating an Integrated Rail Body, which would oversee decisions about infrastructure and train operations. But what does it mean for engineers? #rail #railway #trains #engineering

Rather frustrating to see the government cut back on commitments to invest in local roads. DfT resource spending is set to be reduced from £8.2bn to £5.7bn and cash initially set aside for resurfacing is now rather ambiguously labelled as covering all 'road upgrades'. In the meantime, it will be a case of waiting for the government to allocate the Network North funding that was promised in place of the scrapped HS2 phase 2. With local highway departments as overworked and understaffed as they are, it is vital that these funding streams are delivered to where they are needed most. Let me know if this is something that will affect you. https://lnkd.in/dBCmRtBR

Today's rail headlines - #InTheNews: HS2 Ltd planning a sweeping round of job cuts and a major restructuring, Great British Railways, and Northern writes to headteachers asking for help tackling "persistent, calculated fare evasion" by students. Listen here: #UKrail #railways #headlines

RMT slams network rail cuts after redundancies announcement Rail union, RMT has criticised cuts to Network Rail funding following a decision to cut 42 jobs at Babcock Rail. The company which supplies services to Network Rail has said that due to a reduction in workbank volume they will have to undertake a reorganisation leading to 42 job losses. The 42 roles proposed to be made redundant are within the Rail Systems Alliance Scotland (RSAS) and are located at Cadder Depot. The reduction of work has come about due to Network Rail having its funding cut over the next five years, in what is called Control Period Seven. (CP7) RMT general secretary , Mick Lynch said: “This is a hammer blow to our members, doing vital work supporting the renewal of rail infrastructure. “The decision by Babcock Rail is part of the knock on effects of government funding cuts to Network Rail and is totally unacceptable. “If sufficient funding is not made available, it is inevitable that moves to make further job losses will take place. “The decision by Babcock Rail is part of the knock on effects of Westminster and Holyrood government funding cuts to Network Rail and is totally unacceptable. “RMT will continue its campaign to vigorously oppose dangerous cuts in railway infrastructure maintenance and renewals. “We will resist these latest job losses and we do not rule out an industrial response. “The Government and Network Rail must act urgently to stress test the rail supply chain to protect the further loss of skilled jobs following TXM plant going bust and must reverse funding cuts that have led to this. “These latest cuts underline the the need for a nationalised and integrated railway.”

Interesting to read through the DfT details in the #budget and how this may or may not affect infrastructure necessary for growth. The Gov't say that "well-targeted transport investment is a key contributor to the government’s economic growth mission and drives productivity growth by increasing access to labour markets and unlocking areas for wider development including housing". The budget provides an additional £200m for CRSTS, bringing local transport spending for Metro Mayors in 2025-26 to £1.3b. I know many (including #WoE) are struggling to spend their existing settlement in time, so will be interesting to see if this delivers improvements on the ground. The government will also work with Mayoral Combined Authorities to increase the ambition on housing investment that accompanies expansion of transport links - so, a reminder to maximise the ROI on infrastructure investment by targeting growth in these areas. I can think of a few exciting opportunities 😉 Also, the budget provides over £650m for local transport in non-Mayoral Authority areas in 2025-26. In other news, the A47 dualling and A57 schemes remain, as do East West rail, HS2 Phase 1 but more detail is awaited on RIS3 and an interim settlement for next year. However, worth noting that... "After a review the Transport Secretary has decided not to progress with the following unfunded and unaffordable road schemes on the strategic road network: A5036 Princess Way, A358 Taunton to Southfields, M27 J8 Southampton, the A47 Great Yarmouth Vauxhall Roundabout and A1 Morpeth to Ellingham." What are people's thoughts on the transport infrastructure outcomes of the budget?

Questions have been raised about giving the Secretary of State open-ended powers to change legislation in the draft Rail Reform Bill. In its submission to the pre-legislative scrutiny inquiry of the draft Rail Reform Bill, the Delegated Powers and Regulatory Reform Committee has expressed concern over Clause 8: the power for Secretary of State to make provision by regulations about railway transport services. #railnews #railways #ukrail #rail 

Government reportedly set to back high speed rail to Euston Department for Transport (DfT), United Kingdom also reportedly considering taking HS2 (High Speed Two) Ltd under direct control The government is poised to commit to building HS2 to Euston and could bring the state-owned company responsible for delivering the line under direct control, according to newspaper reports. Plans for a new 10-platform station, which would have been the high-speed line’s London terminus, were shelved under the previous Conservative government as part of broader cuts to the scheme on the back of rising costs. Former transport secretary Mark Harper announced last March that the station would be redesigned to have just six platforms and that the project would not progress until private funding could be found. Labour has said it is reviewing the scheme, but has previously indicated that it would also require private funding to move forward with the scheme. It is unclear whether any such funding has emerged, but The Sunday Times reported over the weekend that the government was now set to approve the scheme in the upcoming autumn budget. “HS2 just wouldn’t work if the terminus was not at Euston. The station is also well overdue for investment and has become a dystopian mess and a stain on London,” a government source reportedly told the newspaper. The decision to pull the plug on the Euston scheme meant HS2 had to write off £153m in costs on the scheme. A joint venture of Mace and Dragados had been building the scheme. Mark Reynolds, chief executive of the former firm, called the decision to mothball it “absolutely shameful”. As it approaches a decision on the Euston terminus, the government is also reportedly mulling another major change to the project. Quoting Whitehall and industry figures, the Financial Times has reported that HS2 Ltd could be brought under direct state control. According to the newspaper, the Department for Transport (DfT) has asked James Stewart, former chair of global infrastructure at advisory firm #KPMG, to lead a review into governance and accountability at the state-backed firm. A DfT spokesperson said: “While we do not comment on speculation, we have been clear before that we will thoroughly review the position we have inherited on HS2, including decisions taken by previous governments, and will set out next steps in due course.” In May this year, HS2 Ltd announced it had appointed the former chief of Crossrail as its new chief executive. Mark Wild’s appointment follows the departure of Mark Thurston, who led HS2 for six-and-a-half years up to the end of September 2023.

£45bn rail improvements start today Today, 3rd April 2024, is the start of Network Rail’s Control Period 7 (CP7). A landslip near Church Lawford in February closed the rail line between Rugby and Coventry for two days As per its agreement with the rail industry regulator, the Office of Rail & Road, Network Rail will spend £45.4bn on Britain’s rail network over the next five years. Over the course of CP7 Network Rail will spend: £19.3bn on renewals £12.6bn on maintenance £5.3bn on support functions (safety & standards, timetabling, IT, HR) £4.4bn on operations (signalling, stations, network controls). The remaining £1.8bn is a contingency fund to cope with unforeseen events. In real terms (at 2023/24 prices), the CP7 plan for England, Wales and Scotland amounts to £42.8bn compared to £43bn in CP6. Over the five years to 2029, Network Rail will invest around £2.8bn in activities and technology that will help it better cope with extreme weather and climate change, including a big push on improving drainage. Nearly 400 extra drainage engineers are being recruited and 600 km of drains will be built or rebuilt, redesigned or see increased maintenance, Network Rail chief executive Andrew Haines said: “Delivering a better railway for passengers and freight users is at the heart of our new five-year investment plan. Tackling climate change, safely improving train performance, adapting and responding to changing commuter habits whilst managing an ageing infrastructure requires the whole industry to rally for the benefits of all rail users. “Whilst there are challenges and opportunities ahead, our mission is constant – we’re here to connect people and goods with where they need to be. The railway is part of the fabric of our everyday lives and has been for generations. It provides essential services to society, underpinning economic growth and our plans will support that over the next five years – a period that will mark the railway’s bi-centenary.” https://lnkd.in/e7_9u_uN

The Great British Railways Transition Team (Great British Railways Transition Team (GBRTT) ) has spent more than £64M in under 18 months since it was set up, New Civil Engineer can reveal. The body was established following the Williams Rail Review that was commissioned in 2018 to examine the structure of Britain’s railway. The 2021 Williams-Shapps plan for rail committed to Great British Railways (GBR) becoming “the single guiding mind and leader that the railways currently lack”. However, plans for what the body would do were subsequently paused, revised and scaled down. It was brought a step closer with the publication of draft Rail Reform legislation in February. GBRTT is now working on a limited number of tasks including looking at simplifying regulatory and contractual rules that do not require legislative change, setting a target for the growth of rail freight and helping to develop a long-term rail strategy. A report by parliament’s public accounts committee last month said the Department for Transport (Department for Transport (DfT), United Kingdom ) had “achieved very little” in establishing the body, with its responsibilities still unclear and taxpayers losing out as a result. NCE has learned under the Freedom of Information Act that the GBRTT spent £64.4M from becoming a legal entity in late 2022 until the end of March 2024. The figure does not include work it carried out on fares and ticketing which was funded directly by the DfT under a £360M modern digital ticketing programme. Independent campaign group Railfuture member Bruce Williamson said: “Stop-start, feast or famine investment has always been bad for the railways, we’ve seen it with HS2, with electrification and other schemes that are on then off again. “Rail is a very long-term game; it needs stability and sustained investment. Uncertainty and chopping and changing never works out well.” NCE revealed last year that £52.3M was spent by the government on setting up Great British Railways up until December 2022, including £10.9M on the Williams Review and Williams-Shapps plan. The Conservative Party has pledged to legislate for GBR to “usher in a revitalised public-private partnership, delivering a modern and innovative railway with reliable services, and simpler tickets” if it wins the General Election. Labour has said it would set up Great British Railways as a fully independent public body with responsibility for day-to-day running of the railways. The body would also take over franchises for running rail lines as private contracts expire. NCE's FOI also revealed that the GBR Transition Team has spent £1.7M on the salaries of PAYE and contracted members of its leadership team. Transition team lead Andrew Haines, chief financial officer Jeremy Westlake and HR boss Martin Thayne are not paid extra for their work at GBR on top of their roles at Network Rail. https://lnkd.in/eFq4WXS7