As the House of Lords begins its scrutiny of the Railways Bill, leading trade associations and transport organisations have jointly written to the Treasury, calling for the Government to improve the Bill by making amendments to safeguard future rail infrastructure investment and growth across the economy.

The organisations, which together represent thousands of businesses and millions of employees, are calling for changes to two parts of the Railways Bill, which as things stand, could weaken business confidence and deter investment.

The coalition is therefore calling for safeguards to help maintain investment certainty, attract future private funding and support the Government’s growth agenda. The letter makes the case for Great British Railways to be established to attract additional investment from third-party partners to support an effective and resilient transport system that underpins economic growth.

Railway Industry Association (RIA) Chief Executive Darren Caplan said: “The Railways Bill represents a once-in-a-generation opportunity to create a modern railway that supports growth, attracts investment and delivers value for taxpayers. So whilst we and the rail supply sector support much of what is in the Railways Bill, the changes we are proposing are targeted, practical and will help save public money.

“As the Bill enters the Second Reading in the House of Lords, there is an opportunity to ensure this enduring legislation is improved and provides the long-term certainty investors need and protects confidence across businesses. By making a small number of targeted amendments, the Bill can be strengthened to boost greater private investment and help ensure the UK railway continues to deliver economic benefits for passengers, businesses and taxpayers for years to come.”

Logistics UK Chief Executive Ben Fletcher said: “The country needs a railway that works for freight as well as passengers and the Railways Bill provides a once-in-a-generation opportunity to achieve this, including through a statutory freight growth target. However, as currently drafted, the Bill risks inadvertently entrenching a system in which the needs of the freight sector remain secondary. Rail freight is critical to driving economic growth and helping the UK meet its sustainable transport goals. While the creation of Great British Railways (GBR) has the potential to advance these objectives, its control of both infrastructure and passenger operations makes robust legislative safeguards essential to prevent freight services from being deprioritised and investment in the sector from being discouraged.”

Jordan Cummins, UK Competitiveness Director, CBI, said: “The UK needs a railway that supports growth, productivity and investment. As Parliament considers the Railways Bill, it is important that the framework provides businesses and investors with the certainty needed to plan for the long term. Getting this right will help unlock private investment, strengthen supply chains and ensure the railway can play its full role in supporting economic growth across all regions of the UK”.

Director of Policy and Public Affairs for the Civil Engineering Contractors Association (CECA), Ben Goodwin, said: “The UK’s rail network is the backbone of the nation’s economy and is a critical driver of growth, connectivity, and productivity that is vital to businesses and communities everywhere.

“CECA members and their supply chain invest, train, and innovate based on clear future workloads. Any weakening of the five-year funding settlement model risks undermining industry confidence, increasing costs, and making it harder to deliver, maintain, and upgrade the network efficiently.

“The Railways Bill is an important opportunity to establish Great British Railways on a stable footing for the future, but this must be done in a manner that boosts industry confidence rather than undermining certainty of investment.

“With targeted amendments to safeguard the stability of future investment and protect confidence across the UK rail sector, the Government can help unlock private sector investment, create jobs, and support world-class skills in our industry, and ensuring the rail sector can continue to underpin economic growth in all parts of the country for the future.”

See the letter here: The Railways Bill – Supporting UK Investment and Growth.pdf