This from Daisy Hill...
Well that was interesting!
Grayling returned to transport following a very minor reshuffle.
We await news on who will be the rail minister.
Meanwhile, those wondering what the election result means for transport policy are reminded that Northern Ireland's railways are both state owned and vertically integrated.
Eat your heart out Jeremy Corbyn!
This from Julian and Sandy...
So Philip Hammond has been on the election trail in Derby...
The Chancellor Philip Hammond has been visiting Bombardier in Derby. pic.twitter.com/LTCox6Wfg9
— Chris Doidge (@BBCChrisD) May 22, 2017
Let's hope nobody mentioned his role in the Thameslink fleet award!
This from Howard Wade...
Interesting to compare and contrast trade associations responses to the recent spate of manifestos.
Here is Rail Delivery Group Chief Executive, Paul Plummer, who may be in danger of sleepwalking over a cliff...
"Working together, by the end of the next parliament, we will be running 6,400 extra services a week and 5,500 new carriages. On top of this, train companies are making a range of changes to improve the experience of passengers from simpler ticket buying to better information. This is all part of a £50bn-plus upgrade plan to improve journeys and to make local economies stronger and fairer, now and for the future.”
Plummer was, of course, speaking on behalf of RDG's 'train company members' (ie the TOCs and FOCs, pointedly excluding Network Rail which is gagged during Purdah).
Compare this with recently appointed Railway Industry Association Chief Exec, Darren Caplan. He pulls no punches, as many of his members are fighting for survival as Plummer's "£50 bn plus" is consumed by both Treasury and boiling frogs:
"We hope that [insert party of choice] recognise and share our concerns about the need for continuity of year-on-year funding for the rail supply sector, which faces the ongoing challenge of planned projects being postponed due to funding limits and which could ultimately lead to passenger and freight services suffering as a result.
"The current 'Control Period 5' (CP5) will see significant reductions in spending in 2018/19, which could lead to asset degradation, reductions in sectoral employment, Small & Medium-sized Enterprises in the supply chain going bankrupt, and a negative impact on productivity. This in turn could lead to capability gaps and increased costs when the delayed work is commenced, perhaps several years into the next Control Period, CP6."
No doubt about who is speaking for the real railway industry.
UPDATE: This from a Mr Steve Strong...
Reading the words of Mr Plummer I can't help but feel that it lacks key references to 'strong and stable' and 'for the many, not the few'?
Perhaps RDG could amend their statement to read:
"This is all part of a £50bn-plus upgrade plan to improve journeys and to make local economies stable and strong; for the many, not the few.”
You are welcome!
Here are the key rail elements of the LibDem manifesto...
Taken from section 6.7 'Investing in the transport we need' (page 62ff)..
To build a transport system fit for the 21st century, we will:
● Ensure that new rail franchises include a stronger focus on customers, including a programme of investment in new stations, lines and modern trains. We will allow public sector bodies and mutual groups involving staff and passengers to bid for franchises. We will continue the Access for All programme, improving disabled access to public transport as a key priority.
● As a result of severe failings that rise to the level of breach of contract, establish government-run companies to take over the running of Southern Rail and Govia Thameslink, with a long-term plan to find more effective and sustainable ways of managing these franchises involving greater powers for local government.
● Pursue the electrification of the rail network, improve stations, reopen smaller stations, restore twin-track lines to major routes and proceed with HS2, HS3 and Crossrail 2, including development of a high-speed network stretching to Scotland.
● Invest capital in major transport improvements and infrastructure. We will:
- Shift more freight from road to rail.
- Deliver the Transport for the North strategy to promote growth, innovation and prosperity across northern England.
- Develop more modern, resilient links to and within the south-west peninsula to help develop and diversify the regional economy.
- Complete East West Rail, connecting Oxford and Cambridge and catalysing major new housing development.
- Ensure London’s transport infrastructure is improved to withstand the pressure of population and economic growth.
- Support the takeover of metro services in London by London Overground.
- Encourage the swift take-up of electric and driverless vehicles.
To protect and extend local public transport, we will:
● Introduce a rail ombudsman to enforce passenger rights and improve the provision of compensation, with the power to sanction rail companies as appropriate.
● Provide local authorities and communities with the powers to improve transport and ticketing with the ability to introduce network-wide and smart ticketing systems.
You can read the entire thing, here.
Worthy, but probably pointless...
Here are the key rail elements of the Labour Manifesto launched today...
Taken from the section on Transport (page 90ff):
On our railways, we pay some of the highest fares in Europe for increasingly unreliable and overcrowded services.
The beneficiaries of public funding siphoned off through transport privatisations have been the earnings of directors, dividends for shareholders and the coffers of overseas governments.
Labour will prioritise public service over private profit. And we will start by bringing our railways back into public ownership, as franchises expire or, in other cases, with franchise reviews or break clauses. We will introduce a Public Ownership of the Railways Bill to repeal the Railways Act 1993 under which the Conservatives privatised our railways.
In public ownership, we will deliver real improvements for passengers by capping fares, introducing free wi-fi across the network, ensuring safe staffing levels, ending the expansion of driver only operations, and introducing legal duties to improve accessibility for people with disabilities.
Labour will introduce regulations to designate and protect routes of critical community value, including those that serve local schools, hospitals and isolated settlements in rural areas.
A publicly owned railway system can be the backbone of our plans for integrated transport. It will be built on the platform of Network Rail, which we will retain whole, working with the devolved administrations. We will ensure new rolling stock is publicly owned and will encourage expansion of public freight services in a publicly owned railway that will leave our roads freer of traffic and our air cleaner. We will facilitate British procurements, including steel, whenever possible.
A Labour government will complete the HS2 high-speed rail line from London through Birmingham to Leeds and Manchester and then into Scotland, consulting with communities affected about the optimal route. We will link HS2 with other rail investments, such as Crossrail of the North (tying together our great Northern cities) and on to the Durham Freight Centre. We will build a new Brighton Main Line for the South East.
In London, to ensure our capital continues to prosper, we will build Crossrail 2.
To harness the economic potential of new technologies and science, we will complete the Science Vale transport arc that runs from Oxford to Cambridge through Milton Keynes. and we will deliver rail electrification and expansion across the whole country, including in Wales and the South West. We will also consult with local communities to re-open branch lines.
Read the whole thing for yourselves here.
Compared with last week's leaked version Birmingham appears to have lost its port(!), Brighton will gain a new mainline to London and commitments to get rid of DOO have been watered down.
As ever the Rail Freight Group is quick off the mark!
RFG managed to publish their manifesto the day before Labour's was leaked!
Headlines here:
Rail Freight Group (RFG) has set out its priorities for the new Government and called on party leaders to include rail freight as part of their transport commitments.
Rail freight is a key part of UK’s freight and logistics, moving a quarter of all containerised imports from the nation’s port to consumers, delivering 40% of the construction aggregates used in London and the South East’s building boom, and underpinning key industrial sectors such as steel. Government action is key to providing a framework which allows rail freight to prosper, and allow the private sector operators and customers to invest for the future.
Our five priorities are:
1. Put Rail Freight at the heart of post Brexit trade links
2. Invest in rail freight infrastructure and technology
3. Provide a stable environment for freight to enable private sector investment
4. Restore and promote rail freight grants to support new services
5. Enable the development of modern fit for purpose terminals
Slick!
Here is the Transport section of Labour's leaked manifesto:
Labour will invest in a modern, integrated, accessible transport system that is reliable and affordable.
Our transport systems illustrate the abject failure of Tory policies: relentless deregulation, privatisation and fragmentation.
They say we get choice and efficiency but the reality of their transport privatisations has been that services are less reliable, safety is compromised, fares have risen, ticketing has become complicated and public health has worsened.
On rail we pay the highest fares in Europe for an increasingly unreliable and overcrowded service.
The beneficiaries of public funding siphoned off through transport privatisations have been the rocketing earnings of directors, dividends for shareholders, and the coffers of overseas governments.
A different system is possible. A Labour government will prioritise public service over private profit. and we will start by bringing our railways back into public ownership, as franchises expire.
A Labour government will introduce a Public Ownership of the Railways Bill to repeal the Railways Act 1993 under which the Conservatives privatised our railways.
In public ownership, we will deliver real improvements for passengers by freezing fares, introducing free wi-fi across the network, ensuring safe staffing levels and ending driver only operation, and by improving accessibility for disabled people.
A publicly owned railway system can be the backbone of our plans for integrated transport. It will be built on the platform of Network Rail, already in public ownership, and consider establishing a new public rolling stock company.
A Labour government will complete the HS2 high speed rail line from London through Birmingham to Leeds and Manchester, and then into Scotland, consulting with communities affected about the optimal route.
A Labour government will invest to regenerate the local and regional economies across the whole country, so that every area gets its fair share of transport investment.
A Labour government will link HS2 with other new investments, such as Crossrail of the North.
To harness the economic potential of new technologies and science we will complete the Science Vale transport arc, from Oxford to Cambridge through Milton Keynes. To prepare for global new trade arrangements, we will study the feasibility of port development in Southampton and Avonmouth as well as Liverpool, Hull and Birmingham.
In London, to ensure our capital continues to prosper, we will build Crossrail 2 and devolve responsibilities for running the commuter train lines to the Transport for London authority.
We will invest in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, too, working with devolved administrations through the National Infrastructure Commission.
Our plans for will encourage and enable people to get out of their cars, for better health and a cleaner environment.
Across the country we will enable the creation of municipal bus companies, publicly run for passengers not profit.
We will introduce regulations to designate and protect routes of critical community value, including those that serve local schools hospitals and isolated settlements in rural areas.
We will better regulate the licensed taxi and private carriage hire sectors in the knowledge that new technologies, consumer service and public safety all require competitive playing field between these sectors to be levelled.
We will invite the National Infrastructure Commission to recommend the next stages for developing and upgrading the National Cycle Network.
We will continue to upgrade our highways and improve road works at known bottlenecks. !he A1 North, the Severn Bridge and the A30 provide essential connections and require our urgent consideration.
We will refocus the roads building and maintenance programmes on road safety, connecting our communities, feeding public transport hubs and realising untapped economic potential.
Our rail freight programme on a publicly owned railway will leave our roads freer and our air cleaner.
Labour supports the expansion of aviation capacity and we will continue to support the work of the Airports Commission.
We will continue working with our neighbours through the European Union’s Highways of the Seas and by negotiating to retain membership of the Common Aviation Area and Open Skies arrangements.
This from the British Transport Police Authority...
I am writing to inform you that Esther McVey has formally resigned her position as Chairman and her membership of the British Transport Police Authority following her selection as the Conservative Party candidate for the Tatton Constituency in the upcoming General Election. Esther, who was formally selected as a prospective parliamentary candidate on 26 April, has been Chairman since November 2015.
Mark Phillips, the current Deputy Chairman, will be fulfilling the duties of Chairman until a permanent replacement can be appointed. Mark, who has been a member of BTPA since September 2013, has a background in rail, having worked for British Rail, Railtrack and National Express. He is currently Chief Executive of the RSSB.
Tatton was the constituency of the former Chancellor, George 'Many Jobs' Osborne.
Further to yesterday's post on Simon Jones seeking selection as Tory candidate for Hornchurch and Upminster
This from Conservative Home...
Cllr Julia Dockerill... won [last nights] selection in Hornchurch and Upminster by an outright majority on the first ballot.
Back to business as usual in the DfT SpAds office...
This from The Brothers...
"The union said that, following a decision of its ruling NEC, RMT is supporting a maximum Labour vote at the 2017 General Election to defeat the Tories and for there to be a Labour Government led by Jeremy Corbyn."
In other news, bears have confirmed that their PNBs are wood centric.
According to Guido, Simon Jones is on the Tory shortlist to contest the Hornchurch and Upminster seat.
Jones is Chris Grayling's special adviser. He is in a three-way for the Conservative candidate nomination against Mark Field’s parliamentary researcher Julia Dorkerill and former Cameron adviser Shaun Bailey.
Hornchurch and Upminster was held in the 2015 election by Angela Watkinson for the Tories with a 13,000 majority. Watkinson is standing down as MP for health reasons.
An early casualty of Theresa May's general election is likely to be the Chair of the Transport Select Committee.
Commons rules say that an MP can chair a select committee for eight years or two parliaments, whichever is the longer.
Louise Ellman, the Labour MP for Liverpool Riverside, was first elected chair of the Transport Select Committee in 2008, following the untimely death of 'Madam Chairman' Gwyneth Dunwoody MP.
Guido suggesting that the Conservatives may be shy sufficient candidates for the General Election.
Ever keen to assist, Eye wonders whether our very own Supply Chain might help fill the void?
But who should we send?
It needs someone with experience, someone who has fought a by-election and has form for high octane politics...
Step forward Darren Caplan, CEO of the Railway Industry Association!
This from Mystic Maureen...
As the nation leaps into action ready for yet another thrilling polling campaign (Shurely "runs around screaming, not again!" Ed) , spare a thought for all those now tasked with rapidly drawing up Party Manifestos.
It will be interesting to see how each party balances Brexit with the wider issues facing the country, and in particular their policies relating to transport and rail.
So what might we expect to see?
The Conservatives: Expect much of the manifesto to be taken up with Brexit and future export opportunities (Rail Sector Deal please BEIS, if you're listening). Of greater interest to the operational railway will be any movement on the rail reforms currently being developed at Marsham Street and expected to be outlined in the Rail Strategy (currently being penned by Bernadette Kelly, before she takes up her new role as Perm Sec). Eye wonders whether Grayling will lobby hard to poke a stick in the hornet's nest by proposing a concession for a Network Rail Route (or Routes)? Despite the unpopularity of 'rail privatisation' this must be tempting, with the Tories anticipated to win a landslide majority. However, lack of parliamentary time may mean that only a vertically integrated East West Railway makes the final cut?
Of course, elections aren’t just about choosing a Government, but also about choosing an opposition, so what about the other parties? (Aren't you prejudging the 8th June results somewhat? Ed)
The SNP: The ScotsNats position is fairly clear, with a desire for a publically owned railway north of the border likely to feature strongly. Will Scottish Ministers use the opportunity to pre-annouce rail investment plans for CP6? A rail upgrade of the Highland Main Line could well be a vote winner?
The LibDems: Liberal Demcrats will be keen to retake the centre ground (From whom! Ed) so expect to see a focus on soft Brexit and trade links making best use of rail. Domestically, something on part time season tickets and fares seems probable, and would they be brave enough to commit to a continued role for the guard? The latter would certainly be a vote winner on Southern’s patch and will place tanks firmly on the lawn of many target constituencies currently coloured blue on the Railway Political Map.
The Labour Party: Labour's policy on rail renationalisation is both well understood and electorally popular, so we should expect to see that headlined. Could we also see broader action on air quality measures, drawing on Sadiq Khan’s popular initiatives in London? A commitment to reinstating rail electrification would also play well in heartlands outside London, where there are concerns once again that all the investment is being poured into London and the South East. A public commitment to resurrecting or accelerating wiring the Midland Main Line and Transpennine routes might also place some significant pressure on the Tories in marginal seats?
Whatever the result on June 8th, the railways will not escape ever increasing scrutiny.
Contributions, informed or otherwise, welcome at the usual address.
Currently we are in Purdah for the 4th May local elections.
If the PM secures her two thirds majority tomorrow for a General Election then Parliament will be dissolved on the 3rd of May.
Purdah for the General Election will begin on the 4th May (same day as the local elections) and run through to the 8th of June.
A reminder about Purdah...
From the House of Commons Library:
"The term ‘purdah’ is in use across central and local government to describe the period of time immediately before elections or referendums when specific restrictions on the activity of civil servants are in place. The terms ‘pre-election period’ and ‘period of sensitivity’ are also used."
This means that we are unlikely to see the Gibb Report on Southern (or any other significant government announcements) until after the General Election.
This may suit one or two people in Marsham Street...
Subject to securing a two thirds majority in the Commons tomorrow, the PM proposes going to the country on the 8th June.
Some quick thoughts on implications for the railway.
1. The Franchising Process is presumably now stalled?
2. Fast tracking a bi-mode fleet for the Midland Main Line in advance of PRM compliance, ditto?
3. What happens to the PR18/CP6 preparations?
Interesting times!
Posts
All Comments
