A press release from Transport for the North, remarkably undiplomatic in what it says and how it says it. But entirely justified.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“[TfN] made clear Government should green light the full ambitions to electrify the [TransPennine] route mooted now a decade previously, not a cut price partial option.” <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n [TfN press release dated 21st July 2020, follows.]<\/p>\n\n\n\n Comment from Transport for the North Chief Executive Barry White.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Government is hailing this week as a landmark for investment in the North\u2019s rail network. A moment when it makes a down-payment on promises to level up with a rumoured \u00a36 billion investment in the North, including the\u00a0Transpennine Route Upgrade.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n A briefing to the Sunday Times also revealed a new \u2018northern transport acceleration council\u2019 is in the works to speed up transport schemes in the region. We welcome investment in the North and anything to speed it up, of course we do.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n Nevertheless, these proposals seem to be rather confused as to where the speeding up is needed. The suggestion being that\u00a0Transport for the North\u00a0is a \u2018talking shop\u2019 that has failed to deliver rail upgrades. So let\u2019s be clear, the\u00a0Department for Transport\u00a0already control every aspect of rail upgrades in the North: funding decisions, business case processes and oversight of Network Rail. The Government has direct control of every element that sets the speed of delivery.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n Transport for the North was established with limited powers, mainly to provide advice to Government and so, yes, we do talk. We talk with the North\u2019s 20 political figureheads and business groups on their priorities and clear recommendations on the investment the North has long been promised and is well overdue. But we do not have the powers or devolved budget to instruct work or take the decisive action that we all collectively need. A situation we hope will soon change.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n However, Transport for the North needs to be at the heart of that change. Unlike other Sub-National Transport Bodies set up in 2016, it is unique. We have a Board that represents the political and business communities that make up the North of England. We are also the only statutory body among the SNTBs, so when we \u201ctalk\u201d, it\u2019s legal advice to government on what the North thinks should happen.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n In fact, our first statutory advice in September 2018 was to urge the Government to fast-track investment in the Transpennine Route Upgrade and give us a strengthened role in its delivery. Back then, we made clear Government should green light the full ambitions to electrify the route mooted now a decade previously, not a cut price partial option<\/strong>. It\u2019s expected to be finally announced on Thursday, and our recommendations are now being given an airing. We\u2019ve made similar calls to just get on with the Castlefield corridor interventions through Manchester after a decade-long back-and-forth on the best solution.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n They say actions speak louder than words, but when your main power is your voice, you need to speak united and at volume. We have used our powers to provide advice \u2013 a \u2018One Voice\u2019 for the North \u2013 to help steer a course through some turbulent times.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n In the Spring of 2019, we repeatedly urged Government to exercise its power to strip the Northern franchise in a bid to restore passenger confidence, a move ultimately taken in early 2020. It\u2019s this unifying role that saw Transport for the North also assemble its leaders in the wake of the 2018 timetable crisis \u2013 two months after we became a body in our own right \u2013 to respond to a total collapse in the existing system.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n Together we helped steer a clear path to rail recovery armed with essential local knowledge of what passengers were facing on the ground. It laid the groundwork for repeated calls for more control of the region\u2019s railways to put into the hands of the North\u2019s leaders.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n This unified approach also saw leaders submit the first business case for\u00a0Northern Powerhouse Rail\u00a0last year. An ambitious project looking to invest at least \u00a339 billion in a new pan-northern rail network aimed at reversing years of managed decline in our railways, and challenging the narrow \u2018Green Book\u2019 appraisal approach that tends to favour the South East over the North historically, and help that region attract more public investment.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s a testament to the unified resolve of the North\u2019s leaders, through Transport for the North and the region\u2019s media, that our collective vision now sits atop of the \u2018levelling up\u2019 agenda.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n But the North\u2019s leaders are clear \u2013 however the Department for Transport wants to organise itself \u2013 the progress they have made as \u2018One Voice\u2019 cannot be erased and the next clear step is more empowerment. They want the ability to make local decisions that put passengers first and run a railway that responds to local needs. Powers that also allow us to create an integrated and sustainable transport network for future generations. It\u2019s that which will help us play an active and authoritative role in delivering the vision we set out in our\u00a0Strategic Transport Plan\u00a0for the North.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n They\u2019ll soon be setting out proposals of how that should work in practice, involving a devolved budget and decision-making to help level up and build back better.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n Let\u2019s work together, to empower and properly fund the North to make its own decisions on its infrastructure future, through our leaders and Transport for the North.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" A press release from Transport for the North, remarkably undiplomatic in what it says and how it says it. But entirely justified. “[TfN] made clear Government should green light the full ambitions to electrify the [TransPennine] route mooted now a … Continue reading