OPINION


WORDS CLIVE WRAT TEN


C


ALLING SOMEONE A “trainspotter” isn’t perhaps the nicest thing you can say about them, but today I’m claiming


the name for myself. It’s sort of empowering. While I don’t literally note down the numbers of engines rolling through my local train station, I have found myself in recent weeks obsessing about the nation’s railways and, more importantly, what effects the state of the network could have on business travel.


This new-found attention to detail got me thinking about the benefits of innovative high- speed developments, such as HS1. Did you know that project refers to the original high-speed line opened in 2007 which now links London with Paris, Brussels and Amsterdam? Being able to jump on a 185mph Eurostar train has


RAIL’S FUTURE A VISION OF


What message would cancelling HS2 send to the UK’s trading partners around the globe?


been an undoubted boon for the economy. It has transformed passenger and freight transport, freed up space on the roads and ferries, and been a conduit for cross-Europe cooperation. Of course, that shouldn’t be a surprise. Wherever they are, railways open up nations and drive economic prosperity. Yet here we are in 2020 – almost 200 years since British ingenuity spawned Stephenson’s Rocket – and our rail infrastructure is in a lamentable mess.


Right now question marks hang over the future of HS2, given its hefty cost over-run. But if such a large and fundamental project is pulled half-way through, what does that say about UK plc to our


trading partners around the globe? And, importantly, would it have any effect on the prospects and progress of other


much- needed rail


developments, such as 122 JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2020 MORE


CAPACITY TO BIRMINGHAM, MANCHESTER AND LEEDS FROM LONDON OBVIOUSLY OILS THE WHEELS OF BUSINESS


Northern Powerhouse Rail and Midlands Engine Rail? Like HS1, HS2 has the power


to be transformative. More capacity to Birmingham, Manchester and Leeds from London – up to 500,000 new seats every day – obviously oils the wheels of business. It also frees up space on overcrowded commuter lines used by millions of passengers every day. The knock-on effect is more room for additional services along the route, with towns and cities, including Coventry, Derby, Sheffield, York, Lincoln and Newcastle, likely to get better links between each other and the capital.


POSITIVE SIGNALS The BTA contributed to the Williams Review into UK rail, and the signals are that the government is minded to take Williams’ recommendations seriously. Ending the fragmentation around privatised operating contracts will also greatly benefit those arranging corporate travel. So, where next? During their


general election campaign, the Conservatives promised to back current rail projects and “restore many of the Beeching lines” – the 3,000 miles of railway closed in the early 1960s. As the country grapples with new 21st century challenges – especially cutting carbon emissions – upgrading the UK’s rail infrastructure would seem to be an obvious move. Let’s hope it comes to fruition.


Clive Wratten is chief executive of BTA (formerly known as GTMC), which represents travel management companies (thebta.org.uk)


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