All aboard the election train

Starmer’s Labour party has promised to?take back control of the railways as one of its flagship policies?running into election year.

In spite of one’s political allegiance, its broadly accepted that Government and industry need both a short- and long-term strategy to keep the wheels on Britain’s railway moving forward.

Recent headlines are striking and damaging for all involved – more than 18 months of walkouts, zero progress in the dispute.

The latest promise that ￡4.7 billion of investment, earmarked for HS2, will be redistributed among northern England and the Midlands, is welcomed, but appears to be too little too late to keep the electorate voting blue.

While no easy fix for a dysfunctional system, the cracks need to be addressed before the trains come to a perpetual halt.

For the UK to compete with its G7 neighbours requires a far more connected, multi-hub economy to tackle regional and social inequality and provide long term economic resilience. A multi-hub economy must embed transport investment in national and regional strategic planning to ensure it reaps the possible rewards.

The levelling up agenda started by Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, Michael Gove was intended to bring local public transport significantly closer to the standards of London, with improved services, simpler fares and integrated tracking, but is yet to bear fruit.

Further consultations with the devolved regions are required to reduce the reliance on the South East and to help raise the profile of sub-national transport bodies – Great British Railways’ new Derby headquarters should play its part in carving out a better place for rail.

The industry is still undoubtedly rooted with institutional challenges. The UK’s rail network falls short in terms of frequency of services, reliability, affordability and general comfort, especially when compared to both France and Germany.

A more reliable and connected rail network serves as a strong USP in attracting FDI into the UK, especially to its regional powerhouses. Connectivity is a buzz word commonly used by communicators in this space, but its value will quickly deteriorate if the UK’s network can’t respond to the growing demands of its businesses and investors.

The prospect of our rail unions taking strike action at height of an international sporting event is unimaginable and the current state of the system is not an attractive proposition for event organisers looking for their next host city. Picture a scenario where the Eurostar suddenly stops at this year’s Paris Olympics – ensue chaos.

Network Rail began implementing cuts to spending in 2019 and rather than short-sighted funding cuts, the rail industry needs fundamental overhaul and investment.

Whoever takes office in early July should take inspiration from its counterparts on the continent, by showing a stronger commitment to strategic plans for the medium and long term, more joined-up planning and co-operation between national and regional schemes, and, ultimately, greater investment in new rail infrastructure and stations.

Failure to promptly address these issues, risks alienating an already dissatisfied customer base and derailing the network to a point of no return.