Private Sector and Industry Capacity
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How can effective private sector investment be best leveraged in the long term to unlock growth?
Rail systems are better than buses in achieving modal shift because of better performance and greater capacity in comfort – but they also have a permanence that encourages developers to invest. See Research in Transportation Economics, Volume 67, 2018, Pages 19-28,
Urbed’s Swift Rail proposals are modelled on Germany’s Stadtschnellbahnen and London’s Docklands Light Railway. They require close co-operation between local authorities, developers, funding organisations, land owners, business interests, and various levels of railway providers. These would be Network Rail in regard to infrastructure provision and management, an operating company, rolling stock manufacturers, signalling and civil engineering companies. A company within a development corporation would link the provision of better transport services to the supply and servicing of land (as with the London Docklands Development Corporation). Four aspects need to be addressed:
Lightweight rolling stock and Tram-Train vehicles, such as the Alstom Dualis or Stadler Tango
The Network Rail system through junctions and main stations requires the track layout, design and signalling to meet the needs of Swift Rail. Network Rail and government regulators will have to agree and implement appropriate standards - perhaps as part of a wider upgrade
Investment should be assessed using the Rail SPEED process with its focus on Minimum Viable Product, rather than GRIP (Governance for Railway Investment Projects). A major financial contribution could come from higher density commercial development around upgraded stations
Operation can best be done by a local company. There are three possible models: one is to pass franchising responsibility to the city region, on the same basis as Merseyrail. The second would be to include it as a micro-franchise (such as the Island Line on the Isle of Wight) within the main franchise. The third would be for the development corporation to franchise the service, or to run it before handing it over to an operating company.
How to best harness the benefits and be adaptable to future technological trends in the sector?
New software is becoming available to ensure Local Development Plans can be prepared taking transport and its carbon implications into account from the outset. Land Use Transport Integration (LUTI) models such DELTA allow transport and land use scenarios to be compared. Tools such as CoPlan go further to also enable scenario stakeholders to negotiate to find a jointly agreed common path.
The Connected Places Catapult is supporting the development of such tools, and their integration into Credo: Digital Twin for Climate Impact. It is essential that the railways are seen as a key stakeholder in the process.
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