Archived press release

A new deal for rail

11 January 2002

A NEW MODEL RAILWAY

Rail plan must offer better deal for passengers

The Strategic Rail Authority's Strategic Plan [1], to be published next Monday, must provide a clear direction for the industry and a better deal for passengers, Friends of the Earth said today. Yesterday, Transport Secretary Stephen Byers staked his political future on delivering a better rail system by the next General Election.

Key tests of the Strategic Plan will be:

• Infrastructure improvements, to get cars off the road
• Franchises to deliver better deal for passengers
• Clear indication of money needed
• Quick wins

Infrastructure improvements
The SRA must detail how it will raise standards in franchises to provide a better deal for passengers,. Measures must include enforcing better punctuality and reliability, reducing overcrowding and providing a greater say for passengers in decisions affecting their rail services.

Money
Britain's railways must be brought up to the standard of the best in Europe. The improvements needed over the next decade will clearly cost more than the funding identified by the Government in Transport 2010 (the 10 year transport plan). The SRA must outline the funding needed and present a convincing case to the Government for this to be made available in the Comprehensive Spending Review and review of Transport 2010, both of which will conclude this summer.

Quick wins
The problems of the railways are structural and deep-rooted, and cannot be solved in the short-term. But improvements are possible, and the SRA must identify some quick wins. These could include a National Railcard giving discounted off-peak travel and accelerated investment in improving facilities and security at stations.

Richard Dyer, Friends of the Earth's Rail Campaigner, said:

“Stephen Byers has put his political future on the rail line by promising real improvements by the next Election. The SRA's plan will be key if he is to deliver. The SRA must show that it knows how to change trains for the better. It must prioritise making the railways a real alternative to the car and spell out to the Government just how much money is needed to bring Britain's railways into the 21st century.”

Richard Dyer added:

“The promise of a better railway in 5 years time isn't enough. Passengers are fed up and want to see changes now. So the SRA must identify some quick wins - easy ways to improve the lot of passengers - and make sure they are introduced as soon as possible. ”

NOTES

[1] The Strategic Rail Authority (SRA) was created by the Government to provide strategic direction to a fragmented industry. It finally came into full operation in February 2001. The SRA's functions are to specify, allocate and monitor passenger franchises, and to produce a programme of infrastructure improvements to increase passenger numbers and freight carried on the network. The much-delayed Strategic Plan was originally due to be published last year, but was repeatedly delayed in the wake of the Hatfield crash and disruption in the industry.

[2] Transport 2010 sets a target for increasing rail passenger journey kilometres by 50% by 2010. Most rail journeys start or finish in London, and so the simplest way to reach this target is to focus investment on London and the South East. Friends of the Earth believes this would be a mistake, and would mean starving the regions of investment, reducing the possibility of increasing rail patronage in other major cities and in rural areas.

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Published by Friends of the Earth Trust