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Select committee: Transport Committee

Rail infrastructure investment inquiry

Closed Opened 9 Nov 2017 Closed 11 Mar 2019

Transport Committee Inquiry on parliament.uk ↗

Inquiry scope (the committee's words)
Committee report Rail infrastructure investment (HTML) Rail infrastructure investment (PDF 2MB) Government Response (HTML) Government Response (PDF 186KB) The process for deciding the funding and outputs of Network Rail for the control period 2019-2024 is underway. Against this background, the Committee wishes to understand whether the current system of planning and delivering investment in rail infrastructure is adequate. The Committee is particularly interested in submissions addressing: The impact of postponing renewals from the current control period into the next and the implications of the Secretary of State’s decision to remove enhancements from the control period process The adequacy of the control period process in enabling the delivery of long term rail infrastructure objectives Whether Network Rail’s long term planning process is effective in providing the industry with strategic direction beyond the five year control period

Where it stands

The inquiry is closed, opened 9 November 2017.

The committee has published 1 report, most recently 4th Report - Rail infrastructure investment on 28 June 2018.

The government's response

Published 19 September 2018.

Summary written by Accountability Index from the government's response. It is not the government's own words.

The Government accepts some of the Committee's recommendations, partially accepts others and does not accept others, while setting out its pipeline-based approach to rail enhancements.

  • On electrification, the Government "partially accepts" the recommendations to recategorise the cancelled schemes and to deliver a rolling programme. It says there is no "pending" categorisation in the RNEP and that it will "remain agnostic" on how outcomes are best achieved.
  • The Government "accepts" the recommendation to engage with third-party proposals, and says any private sector proposals on the Midland Mainline "will be fully considered". It "will work with RIA to produce a report" on electrification costs and will "revert to the Committee on the most appropriate timetable".
  • On regional rebalancing, the Government "does not accept" that its appraisal methods deny regions a "fair share". It says making the rebalancing toolkit mandatory "would be impractical", though it "would expect all business cases to have regard to it".
  • The Government "accepts" the recommendation on smoothing renewals spending and on transparency of enhancement projects at each pipeline stage. It "does not accept" that there will be a slow down in workflow, or that supplementing the market-led proposals guidance is the appropriate means of identifying projects. It will reassess that guidance at the end of the "call for ideas", and "will respond in the autumn".

Read the government's response ↗ Report an error

Reports

All reports

Evidence

  • 5 oral evidence sessionsLatest 30 April 2018
All evidence

Recent activity

Reports

1 report

Oral evidence sessions

5 sessions

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Date Session and witnesses Source
30 Apr 2018
Oral evidence session
No witnesses recorded 		View ↗
26 Mar 2018
Oral evidence session
No witnesses recorded 		View ↗
12 Mar 2018
Oral evidence session
No witnesses recorded 		View ↗
26 Feb 2018
Oral evidence session
No witnesses recorded 		View ↗
29 Jan 2018
Oral evidence session
No witnesses recorded 		View ↗