Keeping our transport system on track

The coalition government’s vision is for a transport system that generates growth and spreads prosperity. We want one that empowers local communities and supports social mobility and is a cleaner, greener gateway to a better quality of life.

If our transport networks are to achieve all these ambitious goals, then they have to be genuinely sustainable – economically, socially and environmentally. Transport sustainability is therefore at the heart of government policy.

To ensure the economic sustainability of transport it is essential that we tackle the inherited fiscal crisis and pay off Britain’s credit card bill. From our Emergency Budget to our Spending Review, we have taken the tough decisions needed to cut waste, control spending and restore our public finances to health.

We also recognise that one of the best ways to spur job creation and strengthen our economy in the long term is to modernise our transport infrastructure. And that’s precisely why we plan to invest more than £30 billion in transport projects over the next four years.

That means squeezing every ounce of value out of existing assets and finding innovative ways of funding expenditure and attracting investment, as well as making a rigorous cost-benefit case for each and every infrastructure project and proposal.

As part of our drive to achieve value for money and a better deal for passengers and taxpayers, the government has just announced amajor shake-up of the rail franchising system. Our reforms will mean longer, more flexible franchises – something that will ensure stronger investment incentives for the private sector and a more efficient, effective and responsive railway sector. The work of Sir Roy McNulty is also informing our efforts to make the railways efficient and cost effective. Indeed, Sir Roy’s recent interim report finds that there is scope to significantly reduce costs across the entire rail industry by up to £1 billion per year without cutting services.

By maximising value for money it is possible for transport to meet the challenge of economic sustainability. However, transport must also be socially sustainable. Access to transport ensures that the least advantaged and the most vulnerable in our society can take part in key social and economic activities and can access public services.

To ensure the social sustainability of transport we have to ensure that our transport networks remain accessible, as well as effective and efficient. Consequently, our Spending Review confirmed the retention of concessionary bus fares. This will enable people to carry on enjoying the greater freedom and independence that this scheme gives them.

In addition, we recognise the crucial role played by the car in ensuring social mobility, especially for many disabled and older people. So, for example, we are implementing the most comprehensive changes to the Blue Badge scheme for 40 years. Our reforms will crack down on Blue Badge misuse, modernise the system and extend eligibility to other groups such as more disabled children under three and severely disabled war veterans and service personnel.

But access to a car is crucial also to many in rural or remote areas or whose journey patterns just do not lend themselves to public transport.  The battle against greenhouse gases must continue and must be won, but it’s time to end the war on motorists.  

We have embraced managed motorways technology to make journeys more reliable and we are investing in major road improvement schemes such as those on the M1, M25 and M62. We are focused on developing a new road safety strategy that targets the reckless and dangerous few, while helping those who make genuine mistakes on the roads through better education and training. And, because we are committed to localism, we believe that it’s not for ministers in Westminster to dictate to local communities what works best on issues like the use of speed cameras. It is local people who understand better than anyone the local solutions needed to meet local road safety challenges.

When it is economically and socially sustainable, then transport can generate wealth and spread prosperity, reinforce community cohesion and open up life-changing opportunities. But transport also has a big impact on the environment we all share, especially in terms of CO2 emissions and air quality. So transport must also be environmentally sustainable.

A low carbon future is the only viable future for transport. But in a democracy that future cannot be built through coercion, or by government dictating which particular mode of transport people should use. Our goal must be to persuade, encourage and incentivise. And to do that, low carbon travel has to become a genuine and attractive option for businesses and ordinary citizens.

This government is focused on making full speed ahead progress to achieve this goal.  A combination of dynamic private enterprise and supportive public policy is helping to spark a green revolution in motoring. I am especially excited about the potential of our “Plug-In Car Grant” and “Plugged-In-Places” infrastructure programme. Together, they will position Britain as a global leader in the design, production and use of electric and ultra-low emission cars as we attract world market leaders to launch – and build – their products in Britain.

Then there’s our recently launched £560 million Local Sustainable Transport Fund. This will helplocal authorities make sustainable and smarter travel choices such as cycling, public transport and walking viable travel choices for people. And we are investing £15 million in a Green Bus Fund, which will pay for about 500 new hybrid and electric buses. To further promote the patronage of public transport we are seeking to improve door to door journeys by encouraging transport operators – and those involved in promoting cycling and car clubs – to work together to integrate tickets and timetables, and provide better information for travellers.

Transport occupies a unique position in our national landscape, impacting on our environment and shaping our society. But transport also provides the foundation on which we can build a sustained economic recovery and long term prosperity. It offers direct employment and economic opportunities through the development, manufacture and application of new technologies and the construction and maintenance of infrastructure. It delivers indirect benefits because it provides the arteries of commerce and trade in Britain, moving people to jobs and goods to the marketplace.

Transport investment and innovation are therefore far more than just important ends in themselves: they are a crucial means of generating the growth, jobs and opportunity that are so essential to Britain’s future. There is perhaps no better example of this transport truism than our proposed national high speed rail network.

The government has just launched one of the biggest and most wide-ranging public consultations in history on its proposals for high speed rail. What we are proposing isa Y-shaped network linking London, the west midlands, Manchester and Leeds, with stations in South Yorkshire and the East Midlands, and links to existing lines to enable through-running services to other cities including Liverpool, Newcastle, Glasgow and Edinburgh.

A national high speed rail network would deliver a transformational change to the way we live, work and enjoy leisure in Britain. Journey times between our cities and regions would be slashed and connectivity radically improved. Trains travelling at speeds of up to 225 miles an hour – potentially faster in future – will bring Birmingham within 49 minutes of London, Manchester within 73 minutes and Leeds to within as little as 80 minutes of the capital.

High speed trains will also be high capacity trains - up to14 trains an hour in each direction, between London and Birmingham each with as many as a thousand seats. Moreover, they will free up extra capacity for freight and commuters on the conventional rail network. Taken together, all of this will mean better connected communities and better served passengers.

High speed rail stations will be at the heart of urban regeneration across the country, acting like a catalyst to local development. They will attract everything from new offices and shops, to homes and leisure space. And the construction, on-going maintenance and day-to-day operation of a high speed rail network will create tens of thousands of jobs.

High speed rail will help to enhance social mobility by improving access to employment opportunities and essential services. It also has the potential to help bridge the economic divide that has impeded growth outside London and the south east for far too long. A high speed rail network would enable companies and entrepreneurs across the regions to use the network to exploit new markets, access new customers and attract new investment.

The high speed rail network we propose would deliver around £44 billion of benefits. It will signal our commitment to the transport infrastructure of the 21^st Century – an infrastructure our competitors already have, and of which they are building more.  And, by cutting journey times and improving connectivity, it would play a part in ensuring that all of Britain is open for business, as well as encouraging travellers to swap long-distance road journeys and short haul flying for more environmentally friendly rail travel.

Sustainable transport matters because it will support the sustainable economic growth that must underpin our future competiveness and our children’s prosperity.  A strong economy, a fair society and an environment that’s respected and protected – this is the prize offered by a truly sustainable transport system. With the effective framework of policies and programmes that the coalition is constructing, it’s a prize that I know we can win.

Tags: Coalition Government, High speed rail, Philip Hammond MP