Recommendation 1

HM Government Acknowledged

Fifth Special Report of Session 2024–26 HC 1852 Transport Committee The Transport Committee is appointed by the House of Commons to examine the expenditure, administration, and policy of the Department for Transport and its associated public bodies. Current membership Ruth Cadbury (Labour; Brentford and Isleworth) (Chair) Steff Aquarone (Liberal Democrat; North Norfolk) Dr Scott Arthur (Labour; Edinburgh South West) Mrs Elsie Blundell (Labour; Heywood and Middleton North) Jacob Collier (Labour; Burton and Uttoxeter) Olly Glover (Liberal Democrat; Didcot and Wantage) Katie Lam (Conservative; Weald of Kent) Alex Mayer (Labour; Dunstable and Leighton Buzzard) Baggy Shanker (Labour; Derby South) Rebecca Smith (Conservative; South West Devon) Laurence Turner (Labour; Birmingham Northfield) Catherine Atkinson (Labour; Derby North) was a Member of the Committee during this inquiry. Powers The Committee is one of the departmental select committees, the powers of which are set out in House of Commons Standing Orders, principally in SO No. 152. These are available on the internet via www.parliament.uk. Publication This Report was Ordered by the House of Commons, on 28 April 2026, to be printed. It was published on 1 May 2026 by authority of the House of Commons. © Parliamentary Copyright House of Commons 2026. This publication may be reproduced under the terms of the Open Parliament Licence, which is published at www.parliament.uk/copyright. Committee Reports are published on the Committee’s website at www.parliament.uk/transcom and in print by Order of the House. Contacts All correspondence should be addressed to the Clerk of the Transport Committee, House of Commons, London SW1A 0AA. The telephone number for general enquiries is 020 7219 2226/ Text relay: 18001 020 2226 (general enquiries) | 020 7219 8895 (media enquiries); the Committee’s email address is transcom@parliament.uk. You can follow the Committee on X (formerly Twitter) using @TransportCttee. Fifth Special Report The Transport Committee published its Seventh Report of Session 2024–26, Rail investment pipelines: ending boom and bust (HC 575), on 10 February 2026. The Government Response was received on 10 April 2026 and is appended below. Appendix: Government Response Introduction The Government welcomes the Transport Select Committee’s report on Rail Investment Pipelines: Ending Boom and Bust and thanks the Committee for its detailed examination of governance, transparency and stability of rail investment in England and Wales. The Government shares the Committee’s objective of ensuring that rail investment is stable, efficient and aligned with the needs of passengers, freight users and the wider economy. Stability is not an end in itself; it is essential to driving efficiency, strengthening supply chain confidence, which is critical to delivering value for money for taxpayers while providing a better performing railway for passengers and freight users. The Government’s approach is based on three core principles: 1. Stable baseline funding for operations, maintenance and renewals through multi-year Funding Period settlements. 2. Disciplined, stage-gated portfolio governance for enhancements through the Rail Network Enhancements Pipeline (RNEP) and through bespoke arrangements for its mega projects (e.g. HS2). 3. Credible and transparent publication of the strategic pipeline, strengthened through the National Infrastructure Pipeline, the Enhancements Delivery Plan, and the forthcoming Rolling Stock and Infrastructure Strategy and Long-Term Rail Strategy. The Long Term Rail Strategy will provide the strategic framework that informs future investment planning and supports the development of clearer, more coherent prospective pipeline information over time, alongside these publications. Together with the establishment of Great British Railways (GBR) as the guiding mind of the railway, these policies are intended to strengthen long- term coherence, improve integration between strategy and delivery, and reduce unnecessary volatility while preserving appropriate flexibility. In response to this inquiry, the Government will strengthen how it communicates and manages the rail investment portfolio by improving the cadence, clarity and consistency of public information on funded schemes and future opportunities, and by embedding stronger integration between strategy, funding and delivery as GBR is established. The Government’s response to the Committee’s recommendations is set out below. We have grouped recommendations in this response to provide a fuller policy position, whilst showing which are addressed in each section. Investment Stability and the Management of “Boom and Bust” Committee recommendations: We recommend that the Government commission an independent review of the beginning of Control Period 7 in comparison to the beginning of previous Control Periods. The review should also survey the volatility of spend within Control Periods, identify whether this