COMMENT
How Britain’s rail network can become the transport of choice – rather than a last resort
Professor Andrew McNaughton FREng, technical director for HS2, sets out his vision for the future of Britain’s railways using best practice examples from around the world ahead of the Institution of Engineering and Technology’s 2014 Sir Henry Royce Memorial Lecture in London on 25 September.
O
utside of commuting, the vast majority of people in Britain today don’t use the
railway that often – if at all. ‘Is it the transport of last resort or the transport of choice?’ is a wonderful phrase that has often been used, and looking at the results of PwC’s most recent consumer survey, the answer would be last resort.
According to PwC’s Voice of the Consumer (VoC) survey published in June last year, most regions showed predominant car usage as part of their daily commute, some nearly as high as 70%. The highest were West Midlands, South West, Northern Ireland and East of England. London was the lowest at 25%. And if money was no object most people would still choose to go by car – either driving themselves or being chauff eur driven.
Nevertheless, demand on Britain’s major rail networks is forecast to increase signifi cantly and it is essential that a transformation of the network occurs in order to cope with this demand. The West Coast Main Line, for example, is the busiest mixed-use railway in Europe, and is used by 12 diff erent operators and carries a quarter of all UK rail freight. The cities it connects are growing, and the population is growing, and the line will be at capacity by 2025.
By 2030, overall volumes are expected to be around 120% of current levels, growing at a rate of 3.3% year-on-year. From a passenger perspective, passenger numbers have increased
24 | rail technology magazine Aug/Sep 14
at a faster pace than expected and they continue to rise.
Big demand, greater expectations
According to Network Rail, each day four million people use the network, which carries 50% more passengers than 10 years ago. Meanwhile, a report published earlier this year by Arup predicts that Bond Street, Tottenham Court Road and Farringdon stations could serve as many as 250 million visitors into and out of central London by 2026.
Driven by population and employment growth in London and the south east, Arup’s fi gure represents 65 million more passengers than estimates suggested just 10 years ago. On an annual basis, this number is equivalent to some 166 million additional passengers using the three stations today.
From a commercial perspective, ensuring capacity for rail freight is vital to protect the diversity of UK supply chains, to support decarbonisation and fuel security in the future, and to enabling UK companies to import and export goods effi ciently to compete internationally.
Extensive research has been conducted globally attempting to gauge exactly what it is that freight users and passengers will need from and expect of railway systems in the future. All conclude that the ideal system would be easy, convenient, and utterly reliable, dependable,
and secure. But why has this not yet been achieved in Britain?
Mindful of the gap The challenge is delivering on what a railway
Tottenham Court Road being rebuilt for Crossrail
© Crossrail Ltd
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