Recommendation 22

HM Government Accepted

Agree 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 LTRS will articulate: • the outcomes rail is expected to support across economic growth, connectivity, decarbonisation and social inclusion; • the railway’s place within the Integrated National Transport Strategy, and the wider Industrial Strategy; • the long-term capability required of the network, including freight growth, accessibility, resilience and technological modernisation; • and the principles that will guide investment decisions over successive Funding Periods. The Strategy will focus on defining what the railway is for and what it must deliver for the country, rather than prescribing in detail how each objective is to be achieved. It will therefore establish clear strategic outcomes and priorities, while allowing the railway, through Great British Railways, the space to determine the most effective sequencing, technical solutions and delivery models within that framework. We consider that long-term clarity is best achieved not by fixing detailed inputs or rigid scheme lists decades in advance, but by providing a durable direction against which successive funding settlements, portfolio decisions and operational choices can be assessed. In this way, the LTRS will strengthen strategic continuity while preserving the flexibility necessary to respond to evolving demand, technology and fiscal conditions. It will help to shape and prioritise future pipeline information, by setting a clear long-term direction against which funding settlements, portfolio decisions and pipeline updates can be developed, while not itself being a list of scheme commitments. However, in recognition of the Committee’s desire to understand more about what strategy may include, the Government will publish a discussion document providing more detail on what the LTRS will include alongside Bill passage through the House of Lords. This will ensure clarity and certainty for the sector providing confidence and direction as we establish GBR. The Railways Bill places the Long-Term Rail Strategy on a statutory footing by requiring the Secretary of State to issue a strategy setting out her long-term strategy for the use of the railway network and the services she wishes to see provided in Great Britain. This strategy is intended to cover a 30-year horizon The Bill also establishes governance duties: the Office of Rail and Road must have due regard to it in its non-safety functions; and Great British Railways must have regard to it in its activities. It is also expected that the Secretary of State will have regard to the Strategy in developing rail policy such as the Statement of Objectives. The Government expects Great British Railways to exercise professional judgment and systems expertise in planning and sequencing its activities within the strategic framework set by Ministers. Ministerial oversight will focus on setting long-term objectives, approving major funding commitments and holding GBR to account for delivery, rather than micromanaging individual scheme, service and investment decisions. This balance is intended to support stable, evidence-based decision-making while protecting the credibility of the investment pipeline and ensuring accountability for public expenditure. The Strategy will not be immutable, however. It is right that future administrations retain the ability to amend it where circumstances materially change, for example in response to new national priorities, technological transformation or significant external events. However, any such amendment will be subject to stakeholder engagement and consultation with statutory consultees, as well as transparent publication, ensuring that changes are deliberate, understood and accountable. We consider that this approach provides both continuity and democratic legitimacy, reinforcing the credibility of the Strategy over the long term. However, in recognition of the desire from the Committee to ensure there is proper parliamentary scrutiny of the LTRS, the Government will happily commit 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. The Government recognises that the credibility of long-term investment planning depends not only on structure and processes, but on consistent application over time. The statutory framework for the LTRS is intended to support continuity and reduce unnecessary changes of direction, while preserving democratic accountability.