Recommendations & Conclusions
8 items
9
Recommendation
7th Report - Rail investment pipelines:…
Accepted
The Rail Network Enhancements Pipeline should be revamped and updated, taking account of all the decisions made by the Government on enhancements since July 2024. It should then be revised and re-published at least annually. (Recommendation, Paragraph 67)
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The Rail Network Enhancements Pipeline should be revamped and updated, taking account of all the decisions made by the Government on enhancements since July 2024. It should then be revised and re-published at least annually. (Recommendation, Paragraph 67)
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Government response AI summary
The government agrees to a Long-Term Rail Strategy (LTRS) and commits to laying a Written Ministerial Statement as well as a copy of the LTRS in the library of both Houses to ensure parliamentarians can scrutinise the strategy and any revisions made to it.
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Department for Transport
18
Recommendation
7th Report - Rail investment pipelines:…
Accepted
We welcome the Government’s commitment to publishing a rolling stock strategy in 2026: this work is urgent. The strategy must be clearly aligned with the pipeline of both major projects and enhancements, so that decisions about track and about the trains that will run on it can be taken in …
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We welcome the Government’s commitment to publishing a rolling stock strategy in 2026: this work is urgent. The strategy must be clearly aligned with the pipeline of both major projects and enhancements, so that decisions about track and about the trains that will run on it can be taken in a timely, coordinated way. It should provide near-term certainty as well as a basis for industry to undertake medium and long-term planning, and it must be drawn up in collaboration with industry with the explicit intention of avoiding unnecessary peaks and troughs in procurement. (Recommendation, Paragraph 91)
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Government response AI summary
The government agrees with the Committee’s emphasis on integration and is already underway with operators and delivery partners on upcoming fleet replacement programmes to ensure that infrastructure requirements are considered from the outset; the Rolling Stock and Infrastructure Whole System Strategy will set out its …
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Department for Transport
19
Recommendation
7th Report - Rail investment pipelines:…
Accepted
The Department should set out in the Long Term Rail Strategy a clear policy statement on its intention to limit the proliferation of rolling stock types. Within two years, the Department and Great British Railways should define a small number of standard train families for use across the national network, …
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The Department should set out in the Long Term Rail Strategy a clear policy statement on its intention to limit the proliferation of rolling stock types. Within two years, the Department and Great British Railways should define a small number of standard train families for use across the national network, to achieve better value for money and an improved experience for passengers, including through more widespread level boarding. These should be deployed and refreshed over successive procurement cycles. (Recommendation, Paragraph 92) 52 Insulating the pipeline from instability
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Government response AI summary
The government agrees that the national train fleet needs to be simplified to help achieve better value for money, easier redeployment of fleet around the network and provide a more consistent and high-quality experience for passengers and the Rolling Stock and Infrastructure Whole System Strategy …
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Department for Transport
20
Conclusion
7th Report - Rail investment pipelines:…
Accepted
A consistent strategic vision of what the railway is for and how it will contribute to the wider priorities of Government is fundamental to achieving stable investment pipelines. Successive governments have failed to articulate what they want the railway network to achieve as a core national asset and, therefore, how …
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A consistent strategic vision of what the railway is for and how it will contribute to the wider priorities of Government is fundamental to achieving stable investment pipelines. Successive governments have failed to articulate what they want the railway network to achieve as a core national asset and, therefore, how it will invest in the network to meet those objectives. (Conclusion, Paragraph 108)
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Government response AI summary
The government agrees to create a Long-Term Rail Strategy (LTRS) setting out a framework for rail over the next 30 years, which will be subject to stakeholder engagement and consultation. The government will also lay a Written Ministerial Statement and a copy of the LTRS …
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Department for Transport
21
Conclusion
7th Report - Rail investment pipelines:…
Accepted
We found little appetite during our inquiry for a detailed, confirmed pipeline of railway projects lasting decades into the future; this would be unrealistic. What is needed instead is a consistent strategic vision that predictably informs shorter-term planning, and which provides a reliable guide to strategic investment decisions for both …
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We found little appetite during our inquiry for a detailed, confirmed pipeline of railway projects lasting decades into the future; this would be unrealistic. What is needed instead is a consistent strategic vision that predictably informs shorter-term planning, and which provides a reliable guide to strategic investment decisions for both Government and industry. (Conclusion, Paragraph 109)
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Government response AI summary
The government will lay a Written Ministerial Statement as well as a copy of the LTRS in the library of both Houses to ensure parliamentarians can scrutinise the strategy and any revisions made to it.
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Department for Transport
22
Recommendation
7th Report - Rail investment pipelines:…
Accepted
We welcome the provision made in the Railways Bill for a Long Term Rail Strategy: it is long past time that such a vision is set out for the railways. The Strategy must provide a basis for consensus and certainty about long- term investment priorities. If it puts in place …
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We welcome the provision made in the Railways Bill for a Long Term Rail Strategy: it is long past time that such a vision is set out for the railways. The Strategy must provide a basis for consensus and certainty about long- term investment priorities. If it puts in place stable scaffolding for practical plans and pipelines, the LTRS has the potential to insulate those plans from unnecessary changes of direction or delay, to convey confidence to industry and to bring improvements to the network forward more efficiently. (Recommendation, Paragraph 110)
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Government response AI summary
The Government agrees that there should be a Long-Term Rail Strategy (LTRS) which sets out a clear and coherent framework for the role of rail over the next 30 years. The Government will commit to laying a Written Ministerial Statement as well as a copy …
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Department for Transport
23
Recommendation
7th Report - Rail investment pipelines:…
Accepted
In order to achieve this: • the Strategy should set out firm objectives on matters of long- term infrastructure policy including electrification, rolling stock, accessibility and capacity; • the Strategy should be the means for setting out commitments to the largest infrastructure programmes on the railway—those at the level of …
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In order to achieve this: • the Strategy should set out firm objectives on matters of long- term infrastructure policy including electrification, rolling stock, accessibility and capacity; • the Strategy should be the means for setting out commitments to the largest infrastructure programmes on the railway—those at the level of HS2 or Northern Powerhouse Rail which take more than a decade— with a clear articulation of how these programmes will achieve the Government’s strategic objectives; • the Rail Network Enhancements Pipeline must be informed by the Long Term Rail Strategy, with schemes at all stages of development clearly matched to its strategic objectives; • the new rolling stock strategy must also be transparently and closely aligned to the strategic objectives set out in the LTRS; and 53 • the Strategy should set out how and by what criteria proposed infrastructure projects and enhancements will be assessed, including their potential to deliver the Government’s strategic aims for the railway. (Recommendation, Paragraph 111)
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Government response AI summary
The government will lay a Written Ministerial Statement as well as a copy of the LTRS in the library of both Houses to ensure parliamentarians can scrutinise the strategy and any revisions made to it.
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Department for Transport
27
Recommendation
7th Report - Rail investment pipelines:…
Accepted
We want Great British Railways to reach its potential for making unified decisions over track and train informed by expertise in railway systems. We expect political leaders to set its strategic direction and hold it accountable for delivery, but micromanagement would work against the best interests of passengers and industry. …
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We want Great British Railways to reach its potential for making unified decisions over track and train informed by expertise in railway systems. We expect political leaders to set its strategic direction and hold it accountable for delivery, but micromanagement would work against the best interests of passengers and industry. The Department must be clear about the level of autonomy it expects GBR to exercise in enhancements planning, and how ministerial oversight will be exercised in a way that does not jeopardise the investment pipeline. (Recommendation, Paragraph 120) 54
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Government response AI summary
The government states that ministerial oversight of Great British Railways will focus on setting long-term objectives, approving major funding commitments and holding GBR to account for delivery, rather than micromanaging individual scheme decisions.
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Department for Transport