BRITAIN’S government needs to publish three key rail investment strategies before it rises for summer recess on July 22, the Rail Industry Association (RIA) says.
Failure to publish The Rail Network Enhancement Pipeline, The Integrated Rail Plan for the Midlands and North (IRP) and The Transport Decarbonisation Plan would create a ”summer of uncertainty” for rail businesses, the campaign group representing the supply community says.
Government officials have repeatedly said that the IRP will be published ”soon.” This will provide an update on its plans for projects including the Midlands Rail Hub, Northern Powerhouse Rail and the HS2 Eastern Leg from the midlands to Leeds.
The Rail Network Enhancements Pipeline is a list of upcoming rail upgrades, but this has not been updated in more than 630 days, while the Transport Decarbonisation Plan is supposed to set out how the government plans to achieve a Net Zero transport sector in Britain by 2050.
“As we emerge from pandemic restrictions, rail businesses currently have little visibility of the government’s investment plans, impacting their ability to plan and invest in skills and capability for the future,” says Mr Darren Caplan, RIA chief executive.
