Enroute is concerned by the deployment of a narrative by the Chancellor that capital investment should be cut to ‘balance the books’, at a time when the Government should be investing in our sustainable transport system to grow the economy, tackle transport inequality and cut carbon emissions.
We are extremely disappointed to see the cancellation of the “Restoring Your Railway” scheme (RYR). RYR was far from perfect, as we have highlighted in our work, but we believe the scheme had the potential to be expanded and simplified, in order to actually deliver rail reopenings across the country, reconnecting towns and villages that have been left isolated by poor transport, and thus expanding access to a sustainable public transport network for all.
The Chancellor claimed cancelling the remainder of the programme will save £76m, suggesting that of the original £500m allocated, £424m has now been spent, mostly on the construction of the Northumberland Line and on feasibility studies for other lines (we are seeking further detail on this through a Freedom of Information request). We believe the RYR fund should have been expanded, and would have been a useful political instrument to present expansion of the network.
We are relieved to see HS2 to Euston was not mentioned, contrary to some media reports over the weekend. We are, however concerned that, as things stand, there is no definitive commitment to ensure high-speed rail will reach Euston in a timely manner, as the previous Government’s policy was that this could only be delivered with private funding. We will be releasing a further statement on high-speed rail concerning Euston and Crewe shortly.
We welcome the news that some road expansion projects have been put on hold, as we believe investment and political focus should go to sustainable transport investment and not road expansion.
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