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![]() Railhub Archive | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Railway ForumTwo cheers for the strategic plan
The Railway Forum welcomes the Strategic Rail Authority’s Strategic Plan issued today. Particularly welcome is the list of objectives to be achieved in the short term. The deadlines set mean that all those who work on, or use, the railway will see some real improvements after a very difficult period. However, it is still clear that many of the longer term issues such as safety, environment growth and, most importantly, funding issues are not yet resolved. We are particularly concerned that there is no business plan linking investment with increased capacity . With record numbers of people and freight now using the railways again, it is vital that long term capacity issues are addressed now. Also, it still remains unclear how £30 billion of private borrowing is going to be underpinned by growth projections that will probably put no more than £3 billion in the farebox by 2010. Britain does not have the worst railways in Europe (if this were the case, why has the Government not fought harder to include additional major British infrastructure projects in the European Transport ‘Essen’ List, where they would be eligible for substantial Community funding?). However, our railways will continue to fall short of expectations until we have a long term plan in place. Adrian Lyons, Director General of The Railway Forum, said today, “We think that Richard Bowker has done a good job by reinvigorating the planning process that all but came to a stop last year. There’s some good short term news in the Plan. But the real challenge remains, as Richard Bowker acknowledges, to get the railways right in the long term. We look forward to seeing how the SRA will build on this good start” Notes to Editors: 1. Since the general election of last year, the Railway Forum under its Building The Railway For The Future initiative has been pressing for more realistic growth assessments over a 20 rather than 10 year timeframe and an investment package that realistically matches the industry’s revenue expectations. Although the Strategic Plan acknowledges these issues, it has not yet produced any substantive answers. 2. The ‘Essen’ List is a list of major infrastructure projects aimed at eliminating bottlenecks that are eligible for substantial EU funding. Originally agreed in 1994, it included the Channel Tunnel Rail Link and the original West Coast Main Line upgrade. Since then, no new UK projects have been added. - Ends -
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