RIA North responds to Transport Select Committee report, recommending the Government revisit the IRP

Responding to the UK parliamentary Transport Select Committee report that the Government should revisit the Integrated Rail Plan for the North & Midlands, RIA North Chair Justin Moss said: 

“RIA North welcomes the Transport Select Committee’s call to revisit the Integrated Rail Plan, to further consider the Northern cities that were excluded from the plans and the benefits of a connected North to the future economy. And we are happy to work with the Transport Select Committee to better understand how the enhanced connectivity related to the IRP increases investment, supports skills, and reduces carbon.

“However, we cannot afford this to be an excuse to delay the plans already committed in the IRP. Furthermore, alongside the IRP, we continue to call for the HS2 Eastern Leg and Northern Powerhouse Rail schemes be reinstated in full, as only by doing so will the full benefits of both schemes be realised, benefiting not just the North but the whole of the UK and its towns, cities and communities.”

Notes to Editors

 

1. The Transport Select Committee’s ‘Integrated Rail Plan for the North & Midlands Report’ summary can be found here and the full report here.

2. Picture credit: Transport for the North

3. About RIA North:  RIA North is the voice of the rail supply community in the North of England, representing RIA members across the region. Rail in the North support £7.7bn in economic growth (GVA), 154,000 jobs and £2.5bn in tax revenue and is an essential industry in delivering the Government's build back better, decarbonisation and levelling-up agendas. www.riagb.org.uk/north