Reflections on the Lexington Transport Roundtable with Iain Stewart MP

Transport matters. It is an inescapable fact that every one of us relies on a functioning transport system. As individuals, we need to get to work, school, holidays and other leisure activities. Businesses rely on it to move goods around the world and the country. As consumers it is a fundamental ingredient in online retail and making sure that shops stock the products we want.

When our transport network works, we tend to take it for granted as we focus on the destination and not the journey. But - as recent events have illustrated - it can cause significant emotional turmoil when it is unreliable. But how many of us have ever truly reflected on what the transport system of tomorrow needs in order to keep us all moving?

At Lexington we were delighted to welcome Parliament’s Chairman of the Transport Select Committee, Iain Stewart MP, to consider just that question alongside guests from almost 20 transport-related businesses covering the whole sector.

Since 2010 there have been many positive changes, including record investment and the rebuilding of iconic stations like Birmingham New Street and London Bridge. New intercity trains. Our Strategic Road Network moved to a five-year funding settlement.

But the big challenges endure. HS2 remains a political football and an answer to the puzzle of aviation capacity in the South East seems as far away as ever, while the industrial relations landscape within our railways continues to pose challenges for reforming ambitions.

In addition to these more established challenges, the transport sector is posing some big questions that will shape tomorrow – like how do we keep up with technological advancements and the pursuit of Net Zero? How do these new technologies interplay with the traditional transport network – and how can the regulatory framework best keep pace? What role is there for Government action or funding in supporting transport innovation?

There were lots of interesting questions put to Iain but the issue that seemed to unite everybody was a desire for the machinery of Government to work in a more holistic way rather than in sector-specific silos (especially in relation to the treasury). I know from my own time working in Government just how difficult it can be to get departments to work together and share information. This certainly needs to be resolved if we are to successfully tackle the big transport problems.

The Transport Select Committee which Iain chairs has recently opened an inquiry looking at the future of transport, inviting proposals to scrutinise the impact of new and disruptive technologies across the sector as well as potentially?looking at an integrated transport strategy for the nation. The opportunities of tomorrow are huge and it is refreshing to see a Select Committee setting the agenda and taking a strategic look at the possibilities, rather than simply operating within the confines of a short-term electoral cycle.

I will be awaiting the outcome of their inquiries with interest. I have no doubt it will make a significant contribution to the debate as we look to how we all move around as well as encourage us all to think about these big issues in a proactive way. We can be sure that big changes are on the way, but it is only by engaging now that we can be sure of reaching the right destination.