Source · Select Committees · Transport Committee
Recommendation 25
25
Acknowledged
Commit successive governments to long-term consensus on rail investment priorities and consistent delivery.
Recommendation
The advent of Great British Railways provides a golden opportunity for decision-makers on the railway to approach investment planning differently. Successive governments must be prepared to commit to reaching a long-term consensus on which investments should be prioritised, and to following through on those decisions. While we accept the legitimacy of different political choices about how to allocate public resources, chopping and changing decisions on infrastructure investment is almost always an irresponsible use of those resources in the long term. It will require self-restraint from the politicians who oversee GBR long into the future to resist tinkering with pipelines to satisfy short-term goals, and to recognise the value of consistent investment over the long term. (Conclusion, Paragraph 118)
Government Response Summary
The government welcomes the provision for a Long Term Rail Strategy in the Railways Bill, stating it's long overdue and should provide a basis for consensus and certainty.
Government Response
Acknowledged
HM Government
Acknowledged
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