29 January 2022
RIA has submitted a response to the House of Commons' Transport Committee inquiry on the Integrated Rail Plan.
Executive Summary
The response sets out that:
- The Government should seek in future to take a more strategic and engaged approach to
rail investment, providing the sector with long-term confidence to plan and invest.
- The Government should publish the Rail Network Enhancements Pipeline (RNEP) urgently,
providing confirmation of the key IRP upgrades it intends to deliver and clear timeframes.
- The delivery of key schemes in the Integrated Rail Plan should begin as soon as possible,
working with the rail supply sector to ensure work is cost-effective.
- The Government should continue examining the case for building the full HS2 Eastern Leg to
Leeds and Northern Powerhouse Rail in full.
- RIA welcomes progress on electrification, but a sustainable, rolling programme of work is
required, alongside fleet orders of battery and hydrogen trains.
- RIA calls for the full delivery of Network Rail’s Long Term Deployment Plan for digital
signalling, building on the upgrades to the East Coast Main Line.
- Accelerate the delivery of the Midlands Rail Hub, working with regional and industry
partners to improve connectivity across the Midlands
The Submission