Regional Transport Activists Roundtable 6 December 2005

Network Rail is to take over regional rail studies from the Strategic Rail Authority and will appoint officers to handle them. They will collate lists of local rail projects for development in much the same way as the Highways Agency does for road projects. It should mean that rail projects are ready to be implemented as funds permit.

It should be noted that the Department for Transport has excluded rail projects from the regional funding allocations scheme.

Karen Buck, Minister for Regional Affairs, has made a speech strongly in favour of developing regional airports and says regional air services are a “good thing".

TAR meeting with Rod Eddington

Those who attended were encouraged by the thoroughness of the Eddington review. For example, Eddington’s team wanted to know if there was any evidence that walking and cycling improved productivity. They are also looking again at the multi-modal studies' recommendations as well as road charging.

Reliability of journey times was considered most important and the lack of rail investment was discussed. North-South high-speed rail is being looked at as are multi-modal freight hubs around conurbations which would be rail served. Coastal shipping and inland waterways are also under consideration for development.

Evidence for the Eddington review should be submitted by 6 January 2006.

The campaign group Road Block has produced a questionnaire – to be sent to local authorities by individual campaigners – which eliminates the need for letter writing and is designed to ensure any new road schemes comply with DfT guidance. Currently they frequently fail to do so.

Of 5,600 responses to the consultation on the new M6 Expressway toll road, only 2% were in favour of it.

Local authorities are likely to get more bus powers if they introduce demand management (road pricing) measures.

Growing the Railways campaign

Following the national launch by Transport 2000 of the Growing the Railways manifesto at the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors, a series of regional presentations is being planned by Transport 2000 to involve MPs and the regional assemblies.

Meera Rambissoon suggests that a regional launch could happen at rail stations, if practicable.

They should aim to include: parliamentary Labour parties, as many MPs as possible, Rail Industry Association, Regional Assembly, passenger transport executive, social inclusion groups, trade unions (rail and otherwise), passenger transport user forums, chambers of commerce, rail user groups and of course the media

The aim is not to have just the usual bodies (rail operators and rail groups), but to reflect the more broad-brush support that Growing the Railways has from business, planners and other groups.

Norman Bradbury 9 December 2005