Iain Stewart elected TSC Chair

Iain Stewart, the Conservative MP for Milton Keynes South, has been elected Chair of the Transport Select Committee.

Iain was first elected MP in 2010 and he has served several times as a member of the TSC: from 2010-2013; 2015-2017; 2017-2018; in 2019 and in 2020.

Previous government roles have included Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Scottish Office (2020-22) and on several occasions as a whip.

The following Conservative MPs also stood in the TSC election:

• Jack Brereton (Stoke South)
• Jackie Doyle-Price (Thurrock)
• Katherine Fletcher (South Ribble)
• Chris Loder (West Dorset)
• Karl McCartney (Lincoln)

Jack Brereton MP, Chris Loder MP and Karl McCartney MP are existing members of the TSC.

Commenting on his win, Iain said:

“I am delighted to have been entrusted by the House to Chair this vital Committee and thank all who supported me.

"I have a real passion for, and experience in, Transport issues and I am very much looking forward to working with colleagues on the Committee to complete the existing programme of work and establish fresh inquiries.

“I want the Committee both to scrutinise and hold to account Government, agencies and operators, but also to do important horizon-scanning proactive work into future opportunities and challenges.”

With today's 'Fiscal Event' and continued uncertainty over the future of GBR there will be much for the new chair and his committee to scrutinise.

TSC to look at Mobility as a Service

This from the Transport Select Committee…

Committee to explore transformative potential of ‘Mobility as a Service’

Mobility as a Service (MaaS) is a broad term for a range of digital transport service platforms, from quite niche online car and bike-sharing schemes to hugely popular, high profile taxi and private hire smartphone apps.

MaaS apps can provide value for money, convenient, on demand services and are transforming how people, particularly younger people in cities, use urban transport. But, while door-to-door journeys in cities tend to utilise several transport modes— walk/cycle/minicab; train; bus; walk/cycle, for example—the most popular smartphone apps to date have tended to be single mode, typically taxis and minicabs.

Proponents of an emerging model of MaaS, in which multiple modes of transport are brought together under a single app, believe it has the potential to make getting around via public and shared transport so convenient it will negate the need for people in and around cities to own their own car, with potentially massive benefits in relation to urban congestion, air pollution and health.

The Transport Committee is launching a new inquiry into the transformative potential of this type of integrated, multi-mode MaaS app, and overcoming barriers to implementation in UK cities and regions.

Lilian Greenwood, Chair of the Transport Select Committee, said:

“Integrating urban transport modes into a single, integrated MaaS app represents a really exciting opportunity to transform how we get around in our cities.

“An integrated MaaS app can create a single, seamless journey, cutting out the hassle of separate ticketing for different legs of a journey. The app can plan and book your whole journey from door-to-door in the most efficient way possible, using real-time service data across all the transport modes in the city. This could substantially reduce reliance on the private car; ease congestion; increase productivity; and lead to more pleasant, healthier cities with better air quality.

“Integrated MaaS is a much talked about concept, but it is not generally well understood. We want to increase public understanding; find out if the bold claims are justified; and, if they are, recommend ways the Department for Transport and others can support and facilitate its implementation in the UK."

Submissions can be made here.

Timely for the Rail Supply Group, as it seeks a Sector Deal.

TSC Inquiry into Rail Infrastructure

This from the Transport Select Committee...

The process for deciding the funding and outputs of Network Rail for the control period 2019-2024 is underway. Against this background, the Committee wishes to understand whether the current system of planning and delivering investment in rail infrastructure is adequate. The Committee is particularly interested in submissions addressing:

The impact of postponing renewals from the current control period into the next and the implications of the Secretary of State’s decision to remove enhancements from the control period process
The adequacy of the control period process in enabling the delivery of long term rail infrastructure objectives

Whether Network Rail’s long term planning process is effective in providing the industry with strategic direction beyond the five year control period.

As usual, RIA was quick off the mark, punting this out at close of play on Friday...

Darren Caplan, Chief Executive of the Railway Industry Association (RIA) said: “The Railway Industry Association has been urging politicians since the summer that there is a £500m shortfall in the current Control Period of railway funding, CP5. This shortfall needs to be addressed to avoid cancellations and delays on the railway system up to March 2019, when CP5 ends. However, we have also been calling for a look at the wider long-term issues around funding the railways, and so we strongly welcome the news that the Transport Select Committee has committed to investigate this.

“The current Control Period system creates boom and bust cycles in the industry, meaning rail suppliers need to increase their capacity at the start of the funding period, but then see a sharp drop off in workload near the end, jeopardising jobs and the ability of small and medium sized enterprises to survive. Ultimately this boom and bust increases the cost of renewing and maintaining the railway system by up to 30%. So we look forward to working with the Transport Select Committee to see how the funding system can be improved, to enable the best possible service to passengers and freight, and the best value to the taxpayer”.

Inquiry Terms of Reference here, and submission can be made via here.

Transport Select Committee - New Tory members

A big Eye welcome to the following Tory MPs elected to the Transport Select Committee.

• Steve Double (St Austell and Newquay)
• Huw Merriman (Bexhill and Battle)
• Iain Stewart (Milton Keynes)
• Martin Vickers (Cleethorpes)

They join chair Lilian Greenwood (Nottingham South) and the following Labour MPs.

• Graham Stringer MP (Blackley and Broughton)
• Luke Pollard MP (Plymouth, Sutton and Devonport)
• Daniel Zeichner MP (Cambridge) 
• Laura Smith MP (Crewe and Nantwich) 

Eye understands there is one more place to fill, drawn from the smaller parties in parliament.

Election of Select Committee Chairs

Tonight the Speaker announced the results of the election for Select Committee Chairs.

Most importantly, for the Railway Industry, Lilian Greenwood was elected to succeed Louise Ellman as Chair of the Transport Select Committee.

Louise had served for two Parliaments and therefore, under parliamentary rules, was unable to stand again.

Eye welcomes Lilian Greenwood, the MP for Nottingham South, to this important committee that scrutinises government transport policy and decisions.

Industry will be pleased that Lilian specifically mentioned the Rail Supply Chain in her candidacy statement:

"Promises have been made that affect almost all our constituencies, and thousands of jobs (including in the supply chain) are in the balance. As Chair I would be a strong voice for rural and urban transport improvements, as well as a critic of bad schemes."

Old railway hands will remember Lilian as both Shadow Secretary of State for Transport and Shadow Rail Minister in the previous Parliament.

A number of other Select Committee chairs were also announced this evening, all of which are relevant to our industry:

Treasury Select Committee - Nicky Morgan (Loughborough);

BEIS Select Committee - Rachel Reeves (Leeds West);

Brexit Select Committee - Hilary Benn (Leeds Central);

International Trade Select Committee - Angus MacNeil (Na h-Eileanan an Iar)

Education Select Committee - Robert Halfon (Harlow)

Eye suggests engaging with all the above early and often - as they may not necessarily be aligned with the government policy of the day!

EXCLUSIVE: Vote for the new Chair of the Transport Select Committee!

Time for an exciting new Eye poll!

Using your skill and judgement, select who you think should be the new Chair of the Transport Select Committee.

These are the Labour runner and riders, in no particular order (I see what you did there. Ed):

• Lilian Greenwood (Nottingham South); 
• Bridget Phillipson (Houghton and Sunderland South); 
• Geraint Davies (Swansea West) 
• Clive Efford (Eltham); 
• Gavin Shuker (Luton South)

Note: The honour of Chairing the Transport Select Committee falls to the Red team, in line with Parliamentary arithmetic and as agreed today (alternative colours can be found on different select committees).

The poll is on the right hand menu bar...

Remember: Vote early, vote often!

TSC: Farewell Ellman - runners and riders

This from Roger Ford...

Sad news from Westminster.

Under Parliamentary rules Select Committee chairs are limited to two Parliamentary terms, which means that a replacement must be found for Eye's favourite inquisitor Louise Ellman (Didn't we do this back in April? Ed)

Her modest, almost diffident, demeamour in the chair of the Transport Select Committee concealed a shrewd grasp of the issues and an interrogation technique which, unusually, generated more light than heat.

An abiding pleasure is her, and her Committee's dissection of DfT Permant Secretary Philip Rutnam over the Great Western Electrification Programme.

At her hearings you knew someone was in trouble when she gave them that quizical look over her spectacles before asking a seemingly simple question, which was often almost impossible to answer honestly without political fall out.

Louise - the railway industry will miss you!

UPDATE: Meanwhile, Eye understands that the following MPs are likely to appear on the ballot to be Labour's new chair of the Transport Select Committee:

• Lilian Greenwood (Nottingham South);
• Bridget Phillipson (Houghton and Sunderland South);
• Clive Efford (Eltham); and
• Geraint Davies (Swansea West)

Of course Eye is completely non-partisan about this election, so may the best man win! (Which in this case is Lilian Greenwood - a noted friend to the railway and its supply chain over many years. #JustSaying. Ed)

Ellman is first transport casualty of GE2017?

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.

Louise has served on the Transport Select Committee for twenty years, since she was first elected to Parliament in 1997.

Although held by a Labour MP over many years, the chairmanship of the Transport Select Committee (and indeed the party affiliations of all the select committee chairs) will be dependent on the share of seats held by each party in the new Parliament.

Ellman has presided over an increasingly influential Transport Committee, and it is be hoped (voters willing) that her experience will not be entirely lost to TSC after June.

HS2 gets a roasting at TSC

A feisty session of the Transport Select Committee yesterday.

The committee quizzed Grayling and Higgins on the latest developments at HS2, and in particular about CH2M's decision to withdraw from a major contract.

Key take-away was from TSC Chair Louise Ellman, as captured by CityAM:

Chair of the committee Louise Ellman expressed her incredulity that the onus to flag any issues lay with the bidders as opposed to the government or HS2, “the procurer of this major, major contract with very large amounts of public money” behind it.

“Is that right? Who is responsible for identifying conflicts of interest, apart from whistleblowers or the media? Who within the company?” she asked

You can watch the fun and games, here.

Eye is sure that all this committee-room unpleasantness could have been avoided, if only Higgins had used the surreal ice-breaker deployed by his Commercial Director, Beth West, at a rolling stock event for the supply chain held on the 27th March.

Beth started off proceedings by telling astonished attendees that:

"Under your seats you will find a supply of sticky backed plastic, cardboard tubes from toilet rolls and yoghurt pots and in the next 15 minutes I'd like you all to build a prototype of the high speed train you would like to build for us."

Value for money engineering indeed.

TSC - Suggestions for future inquiries

This from the Transport Select Committee... 

Transport Committee invites ideas for future inquiries 

The Transport Committee today invites the public to suggest subjects for inquiries to take place later in the year.

Topics should relate to the work of the Department for Transport or one of its related bodies, such as the Highways Agency, Maritime and Coastguard Agency or Network Rail.

The Committee Chair, Louise Ellman MP, has said:

“If you have an issue which you think we should look at we would like to hear from you. Please write to us, email, or submit your suggestion using our website or Twitter.

“Your suggestions will be important in shaping our future work programme. Once we have decided on which inquiries to hold we will publish all of the suggestions we received and what we decided in relation to each of them”.

“That said, I must also emphasise that the Committee does not take up individual cases and will not look at local transport issues or specific transport projects unless they raise issues of national significance.”

The Committee last invited the public to suggest inquiry ideas in March 2013. The suggestions received and the Committee’s decisions about its programme were published in June 2013. 

Future programme: 2013-14 

Further information 

Submissions should be 250 words or less and sent by e-mail to transcom@parliament.uk or via Twitter using @CommonsTrans 

Nothing to see here, move along.

Higgins before TSC on 14th October

This from the Transport Select Committee...

Oral evidence SESSION – Work of Network Rail
Sir David Higgins, chief executive of Network Rail, has been called to appear before the Transport Committee.
Chair of the Committee, Louise Ellman MP, has said:

“We have a wide range of issues to raise with Sir David Higgins including Network Rail’s problems in meeting its performance targets; the funding settlement for the next 5-year control period; and the work of the Rail Delivery Group, of which Sir David is deputy chair. We will also want to ask about how Sir David intends to tackle his important new role as chair of HS2 Ltd”.

Monday 14 October 2013

Witness:

4.15 pm
· Sir David Higgins, Chief Executive, Network Rail

FURTHER INFORMATION:

Committee Membership is as follows:

Mrs Louise Ellman (Labour/Co-operative, Liverpool Riverside) (Chair); Sarah Champion (Labour, Rotherham); Jim Dobbin (Labour/Co-operative, Heywood and Middleton); Karen Lumley (Conservative, Redditch); Jason McCartney (Conservative, Colne Valley); Karl McCartney (Conservative, Lincoln); Lucy Powell (Labour/Co-operative, Manchester Central); Adrian Sanders (Lib Dem, Torbay); Iain Stewart (Conservative, Milton Keynes South); Graham Stringer (Labour, Blackley and Broughton); Martin Vickers (Conservative, Cleethorpes).

ENDS

January - a time to look forward, not back!

So. The Transport Select Committee has opined on the future of the railway.

Please read our Legislators' thoughts - Here.

Meanwhile we look forward to the 8th January when NR publishes its business plan (HLOS in old money).

And on 10th January we can apparently anticipate a Ministerial Statement on the Brown Review.

In all this excitement there is only one message that the industry needs to put across:

"Move the wheel closer to the rail and structure for the customer!", whether passenger or freight (thank you Sir Robert).

That is all.

McLoughlin & Rutnam in front of TSC today

This from the Transport Select Committee...

ORAL EVIDENCE – WEST COAST MAIN LINE FRANCHISE 

The Transport Select Committee will call the Secretary of State for Transport, Rt Hon Patrick McLoughlin MP, and the Permanent Secretary at the Department for Transport, Philip Rutnam, to give oral evidence on the cancellation of the competition to run the West Coast Main Line franchise.  

Wednesday 31 October at 2.45 pm

Location:  Grimond Room, Portcullis House

Announcing the session Tranport Committee Chair Louise Ellman MP said:

“It is astonishing that the Government has had to cancel the West Coast Main Line franchise competition and delay other competitions. Just last month the Secretary of State told us that he was content with how the Department for Transport had handled the West Coast Main Line competition and that Virgin’s challenge to the outcome would be defended robustly. 

“I expect the Department’s review of what went wrong to be available by the end of this month and we will want to examine that very carefully. We will also want to know how much this episode has cost the taxpayer, what lessons will be learnt, and what will be the wider implications for franchising. In addition, I expect the Committee to look closely at the Government’s review of franchising when it is published at the end of this year."

ENDS

You can view the session live here.

TSC - A voice crying in the wilderness...

This from a Mr Tony Miles...

I found this Transport Select Committee report from 2009

It makes interesting reading in the light of recent events…

Highlights in the section headed 'Rail franchising—on track?' include:

3. In our 2006 report on passenger rail franchising, we concluded that the franchising system had failed to fulfil its objectives, and that it was nothing short of a "policy muddle". We were concerned that "the drive to extract premiums from some parts of the network will result in further above-inflation fare increases and a deterioration in customer service, investment and innovation". We argued that the Government needed to "conduct a strategic review of the long term needs of rail passengers, and an honest appraisal of the structure best suited to fulfil these needs over the next several decades". We urged the Government to ensure that this review be included in the 2007 Rail White Paper. The Government failed to do so, telling us that the system was "delivering" both good services and value for money.

7. As we said three years ago, the current system of rail franchising is a muddle.

12. As we have noted in the past, the process for awarding franchises along with the relative absence of significant risks for franchise holders tend to fuel very optimisitc bids.

19. The Government has argued that the difficulty of predicting revenue over 15 or 20 years militates against longer franchises,

21. The needs of passengers have not always been properly catered for within rail franchising contracts. The Government must ensure that franchises are more passenger-focused, and that commitments within existing franchise contracts are also enforced.

Clearly all of this was taken on board and informed the West Coast franchising process…

Eye commends this report to Richard Brown and hopes it will help inform his Review?

McLoughin and Rutnam face TSC fury

This from the Transport Select Committee...

3 October 2012

For Immediate Release:                                              SCA 27/2012–13

Oral evidence – west coast main line franchise

The Transport Select Committee will call the Secretary of State for Transport, Patrick McLoughlin MP, and the Permanent Secretary at the Department for Transport, Philip Rutnam, to give oral evidence on the cancellation of the competition to run the West Coast Main Line franchise on Wednesday 31 October at 2.45 pm.

Committee Chair Louise Ellman MP said:

It is astonishing that the Government has had to cancel the West Coast Main Line franchise competition and delay other competitions. Just last month the Secretary of State told us that he was content with how the Department for Transport had handled the West Coast Main Line competition and that Virgin’s challenge to the outcome would be defended robustly.

I expect the Department’s review of what went wrong to be available by the end of this month and we will want to examine that very carefully. We will also want to know how much this episode has cost the taxpayer, what lessons will be learnt, and what will be the wider implications for franchising. In addition, I expect the Committee to look closely at the Government’s review of franchising when it is published at the end of this year

Committee Membership is as follows:

Mrs Louise Ellman (Labour/Co-operative, Liverpool Riverside) (Chair); Steve Baker (Conservative, Wycombe); Jim Dobbin (Labour/Co-operative, Heywood and Middleton); Mr Tom Harris (Labour, Glasgow South); Julie Hilling (Labour, Bolton West); Kwasi Kwarteng (Conservative, Spelthorne); Mr John Leech (Liberal Democrat, Manchester Withington); Paul Maynard (Conservative, Blackpool North and Cleveleys); Iain Stewart (Conservative, Milton Keynes South); Graham Stringer (Labour, Blackley and Broughton); Julian Sturdy (Conservative, York Outer).

ENDS

DfT prepares to activate DOR on West Coast

As Beardie and ToT gear up for this afternoon's barnstorming performance at the TSC, the DfT is turning up the heat on Virgin.

In yesterday's Sunday Times Karl West reported that Marsham Street is considering renationalising the InterCity West Coast franchise if there are delays to the start of the new franchise (due to commence on the 9th December).

A DfT spokesman said "In view of the legal challenge from Virgin Trains, we are looking at our responsibilities under Section 30 of the Railways Act and it is only prudent to increase our focus on contingency planning."

On the plus side, taking over the ICWC franchise for a short time this year will help Directly Operated Railways prepare for a longer custodianship in 2019. (Shurely shome mishtake? Ed)

TSC brings ICWC protagonists face to face

This from the Transport Select Committee...

Oral evidence – Rail 2020: West Coast Mainline Franchise 

The Transport Select Committee will question Sir Richard Branson of Virgin Group and Tim O’Toole of FirstGroup over the Government’s decision to award the West Coast mainline rail franchise to FirstGroup.

Monday 10 September 2012

The session will take place in the Grimond Room, House of Commons.

Witnesses:

4.05 pm

·         Sir Richard Branson, Chairman, Virgin Group Ltd

·         Tony Collins, Chief Executive Officer, Virgin Rail Group

4.45 pm

·         Tim O’Toole, Chief Executive, FirstGroup plc

·         Vernon Barker, Managing Director, UK Rail division, FirstGroup plc

Eye hopes bouncers will be present in the committee room corridor?

Note to diary: Cancel appointments, plug in interweb and order large bag of popcorn.

TSC finally confirms NR part of DfT

The Transport Select Committee is asking the public to suggest topics for future inquiries.

And, in the spirit of open government and democratic accountability, quite right too!

But what's this?

Has the NAO been told?

Wolmar addresses the nation!

Good news for fans of The World's Greatest Living Transport Correspondent! (Sid and Doris Gricer? Ed)

The putative Mayor of London is joining Nigel Harris and other members of the great and good at the Transport Select Committee this morning to outline their vision for Rail 2020.

The fun and games start at 10:05 and the running order is as follows:

1. Christian Wolmar, Railway author and broadcaster, Nigel Harris, Managing Editor, Rail Magazine, and John Nelson, Chairman, First Class Partnerships Limited
2. Tom Smith, Chairman, Association of Train Operating Companies, Gatwick Airport
3. Tim Shoveller, Managing Director, South West Trains, Paul Plumber, Network Rail, and Dominic Booth, Abellio / Greater Anglia Trains 

You can view the proceedings, live, here.

UPDATE: Now you can view all 2 hours, not exactly live, but certainly here!



A good performance from all involved.

Those of a nervous disposition may wish to shy away from Mr Shoveller's realignment of Ms Ellman's compass on matters safety.

But then what are 'Chairs' for, but sitting on.

Bring back 'Madam Chairman' says Eye!

TSC turns into election hustings - Shocker

According to the June newsletter from the World's Greatest Living Transport Correspondent...

"I have been asked by a few people whether I would like to try to get the Labour nomination for London mayor next time. Although initially I thought that was plain daft, I have begun to think seriously about it. There are lots of transport ideas that should be discussed and certainly the focus last time on fares and the previous time on bendy buses showed a distinct paucity of imagination. I have a vision for London that is somewhat more radical than those scant offerings..." (cont' p94).

So Wolmar for Mayor!

Evidently our man hasn't been resting on his laurels, for within minutes of Wolmar's shock candidacy being announced, the following arrived from the Transport Select Committee...

ORAL EVIDENCE – RAIL 2020

Tuesday 26 June 2012

Witnesses:
10.05 am

• Christian Wolmar, Railway author and broadcaster
• Nigel Harris, Managing Editor, Rail Magazine
• John Nelson, Chairman of First Class Partnerships Limited

10.45 am

• Tom Smith, Chairman, Association of Train Operating Companies
• James Colman, Director of Corporate Affairs and Sustainability, Gatwick Airport
• Ian Yeowart, Managing Director, Alliance Rail Holdings

 11.30 am

• Tim Shoveller, Alliance Managing Director, South West Trains
• Network Rail [name to be confirmed]

The industry now waits with baited breath to see what electoral office Nigel Harris intends standing for...

UPDATE: This from Dame Barbara Cartland...

Since darling Christian's oeuvre is fast approaching the size of my own, thanks to relentless promotion by the dear, dear boy, may I  ask whether he has arranged to have a table in the committee room corridor where his many fans will be able to buy signed copies of his latest work?