NEWS
More than commuter capacity
Coverage has concentrated on efforts to deal with commuter demands but these developments have drawn attention away from the impact on freight operation and policies geared towards invigorating the rail-haulage industry. News reports have focussed on the Electric Spine as a method to provide better, faster and cheaper travel for more commuters but the renovations are also designed to hasten freight transport to Southampton and other significant ports. In addition, £200m has been ring-fenced to provide funding for improvements identified by the industry over CP5 and for continued investment in the Strategic Freight Network.
The efforts to improve the national network are also to be supplemented by further implementation of ERTMS. HLOS points to the system being introduced at the south end of the East Coast Main Line, and then employed more widely once performance benefits have been established, allowing the UK to engage with continental advances in rail signalling and communications, following the pilot on the Cambrian line.
Ticking the remaining boxes
A major aim is improving the passenger experience by addressing the speed, quality,
frequency and connectivity of services. This makes up a great deal of the expenditure in the North West and constitutes much of the £5.2bn for completing pre-existing projects. In the London area the most ambitious of these are Crossrail and Thameslink. A further £240m has been earmarked to improve all East Coast Main Line services, while the HLOS also includes western rail access to Heathrow from the GWML, and augmented rail access to Gatwick, giving unprecedented connections to the airports.
Among the less-covered aspects of HLOS 2012 is the £300m for “journey time and performance improvements and other rail industry discretionary investment”. The Secretary for Transport has stressed that she wants better information for passengers, particularly where disruptions have occurred, and has put £100m to such an end. This has been matched by funds designated for ‘Access for All’, the ongoing programme to make stations more accessible, especially for the elderly and disabled. On the advice of the ORR, the transport secretary has allocated £65m for improving safety at level crossings, while other enhancement schemes to be developed over CP5 and designed to take effect in CP6 are receiving £140m.
It is important to remember, as the HLOS points out, that the Government is not specifying
exactly how its required outputs should be met. The document says: “Although alongside this HLOS the Government is publishing an ‘Illustrative Option’ [see
www.tinyurl.com/ HLOS-illustrative] of how the outputs could be met, derived from the September 2011 Initial Industry Plan and other industry sources, the Government’s purpose in doing so is to assure itself and others that there are likely to be value for money ways of securing the outcomes specified within the funding limits set out in the SoFA.”
In the SoFA (Statement of Funds Available), breaking down the maximum possible funding for England and Wales over CP5, the DfT has said the maximum Network Grant will be £18.3bn, plus £1.45bn in franchise support payments. As ever with railway funding, this is complicated by the ORR Periodic Review process, and the overall level of track access charges payable to Network Rail, but gives a good overall idea of the amount of money being spent year-on-year, rising from £3.165bn in 2014-5, to £3.394bn in 2018-19. More money can also be found from other funding sources towards specific projects; for example EU funds, or third party contributions through planning gain.
FOR MORE INFORMATION
assets.dft.gov.uk/publications/hlos-2012/ railways-act-2005.pdf
rail technology magazine Aug/Sep 12 | 15
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