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Research and Reports

A database of documents and reports released by industry bodies. You can download the document by clicking on its title, and can filter reports by author or subject. If you have a report you would like to submit to the Rail Hub, please email [email protected].

 

  • Investment Report 2020

    01/11/2019
    Rail Delivery Group SearchResearchItems

    In the past two years more than 2,500 brand new vehicles have been introduced, along with 4,000 additional services. That’s according to the latest investment report from the RDG, which adds that by the middle of the 2020s more than 11,300 extra trains will have been added to the timetable, while some 8,000 new vehicles will have been introduced. The report claims that every second three trains leave a platform somewhere in the UK, and that every 20 minutes 80,000 people catch a train. To support these train movements an estimated £20 billion will be invested in running and upgrading the railway next year, up from £14.9bn in 2018-19.

  • Draft Transport Strategy for the South East

    01/10/2019
    Transport for the South East SearchResearchItems

    The views of businesses and residents are being sought by sub-national transport body Transport for the South East, for a consultation on its newly published draft Transport Strategy. The 30-year plan seeks to double the size of the economy in the region (which stretches from Kent to Hampshire and from the English Channel to the outskirts of London), create half a million new jobs, reduce congestion and emissions, and improve air quality. Deadline for responses is January 10. A final version of the Transport Strategy will be put to the TfSE board in spring 2020.

  • Rail Network Enhancements Pipeline Update

    01/10/2019
    Department for Transport SearchResearchItems

    Secretary of State for Transport Grant Shapps bowed to industry pressure by publishing details of enhancement schemes passing through his Department’s development pipeline, just hours before appearing at the House of Commons Select Committee. The 15-page autumn update contains details of projects in one of three stages - initiate, develop and design. Only projects that pass all three stages and then receive authority to deliver are passed to Network Rail. Among those enhancements in the initiate phase are reopening the line from Skipton-Colne, congestion relief for Paddington, and capacity improvements at Birmingham Moor Street. Projects being developed include restoring passenger services to the freight-only Ashington-Blyth line and western access to Heathrow. Schemes now being designed include the Portishead reopening and the Trans-Pennine Route Upgrade. The DfT’s pipeline publication followed the Railway Industry Association’s launch of a ‘Show Us the Rail Enhancements’ (SURE) campaign, which included a website clock recording that it had been more than a year since the DfT had said it would publish pipeline details.

  • HS2 North: Redesigning our Railways

    01/10/2019
    The Northern Powerhouse Partnership SearchResearchItems

    The Northern Powerhouse Partnership - October 2019 Cancelling HS2 could seriously damage the potential to deliver £1,008 billion for the North’s economy. The Northern Powerhouse Partnership’s independent review states that the HS2 and Northern Powerhouse Rail schemes could generate an aggregate gross value added prize to the region in excess of £1,000bn between 2035-50. The review reports that cancellation of either the eastern and/or western legs of HS2 Phase 2b without a credible alternative would leave no way to secure the economic competitiveness required in the North, which it says is a pre-requisite of rebalancing the UK’s economy. It also warns that the North will not accept waiting until 2040 for HS2 to connect its cities to Birmingham and London, and that work should therefore start immediately on upgrading other parts of the network. The creation of an HS2 North special-purpose vehicle is also recommended to work with the private sector to integrate the new railways.

  • Tomorrow’s Living Station

    01/10/2019
    Arup & Network Rail SearchResearchItems

    Railway stations could be much more embedded in their communities in future, helping to promote inclusive and sustainable economic growth. This vision of stations being at the heart of healthy communities was unveiled by Arup and NR in the Tomorrow’s Living Station report into how the role of stations will develop in line with changing working patterns and concerns about the environment, health and wellbeing. The ‘Living Station’ concept envisages stations offering beautiful public spaces, more digital connectivity, and seamless interchange between transport modes. Knowledge hubs, green infrastructure, office space for entrepreneurs, work pods for students or commuters and community facilities could all be part of stations in the future.

  • Passenger Rail Usage 2019-20 Q1 Statistical Release

    01/10/2019
    Office of Rail and Road (ORR) SearchResearchItems

    he number of passenger journeys on Britain’s railways in the first quarter of 2019-20 (April-June 2019) rose by 2.4% compared with the corresponding period in 2018-19. The latest figures published by the Office of Rail and Road on October 3 reveal that 493 million journeys were made, and that passenger numbers continue to grow across all sectors. The number of journeys made using season tickets decreased by 7.5 million (down 5%), which is the lowest Q1 total since 2010-11 and represents a market share of 32.5%.

  • Castlefield Corridor Congested Infrastructure Report

    01/09/2019
    Network Rail SearchResearchItems

    Network Rail has concluded that current and additional committed services planned for introduction in the next few years cannot reliably be accommodated by the current infrastructure within central Manchester. No more than 13 trains per hour, two of which would terminate at Oxford Road, can be operated through the Castlefield Corridor without alterations to infrastructure and/or timetabled services. 13tph is 85% of the corridor’s theoretical capacity, and is the value internationally recognised as the limit for reliable performance on suburban routes. A second report is due to be published in the spring that will consider a capacity improvement plan and the effectiveness of several proposed interventions.

  • National Travel Survey: 2018

    31/07/2019
    Department for Transport SearchResearchItems

    Rail accounted for 2% of all journeys completed in 2018, and 9% of the total distance travelled in England. Rail was the fourth most popular form of transport (after private vehicles, walking and buses), but the second most popular in terms of distance travelled. People completed around nine trips by private transport for each one by public transport, although rail is gaining popularity. Surface rail trips per person increased in England from 13 journeys in 2002 to 22 in 2018. Passengers travelled an average of 618 miles in 2018 (an increase of 41% since 2002) with the average journey taking 81 minutes. Excluding London Underground, 73% of all rail trips undertaken last year exceeded ten miles.

  • The Blake Jones Review of the Rail North Partnership

    19/07/2019
    Department for Transport SearchResearchItems

    The Blake Jones Review, co-authored by Leeds City Council Leader Judith Blake and former Rail Minister Andrew Jones, is one of three reviews commissioned in late 2018 to consider the problems surrounding the introduction of the May 2018 timetable, and how to prevent them happening again. It recommends introducing a ‘Passenger Promise’ to enhance what passengers can expect from the industry, while also increasing transparency and political oversight in order to improve lines of accountability for who is responsible for making key decisions. In response, Northern leaders including Blake have said that deeper rail devolution in the North must be considered by the Williams Review.

  • Completing Crossrail

    19/07/2019
    House of Commons Public Accounts Committee SearchResearchItems

    The Public Accounts Committee has again attacked Crossrail Ltd over delays in opening the new railway. The Department for Transport also came in for strong criticism, with Crossrail’s £2.8 billion overspend and late running branded “par for the course for major rail projects”. Despite Crossrail Ltd targeting a revised opening date of October 2020-March 2021, the PAC report concludes that it is uncertain when the whole railway will open, and points out that Transport for London’s fare revenue will not increase significantly until the full railway opens. PAC also describes it as “staggering” how the company continued to believe as late as July 2018 that the central section would open in December 2018, and calls it “unacceptable that the DfT devolved so much accountability for taxpayers’ money on the programme”.

  • Integrated Rail Plan

    18/07/2019
    Sheffield City Region SearchResearchItems

    A new 4.5-mile railway from the East Coast Main Line to Doncaster Airport, tram-train extensions and new stations are at the heart of Sheffield City Region’s Integrated Rail Plan. Although the region is likely to benefit from HS2 and Northern Powerhouse Rail, the strategy calls for even further improvements - although none of the proposals are fully costed. Analysis suggests that should a line be built to Doncaster Airport, nine million people will be within a 90-minute rail journey of the new station. It is also expected to help create up to 16,500 new jobs at the site, and accelerate the construction of 8,500 new homes.

  • Annual Report and Accounts 2019

    18/07/2019
    Network Rail SearchResearchItems

    A record £7 billion was invested in the railway in 2018-19, according to NR’s annual report. Revenue for NR increased by £100 million from the previous year to £6.7bn, but operating costs rose by £500m from £4.7bn to £5.2bn, largely due to increased depreciation and electricity costs, and a greater spend on maintenance. The sale of lettings in railway arches raised more than £1.4bn, and property sales achieved a profit of £300m over their book value. NR made a pre-tax loss of £173m against a £48m profit the previous year – this is blamed on the regulatory settlement for CP5 and increased train performance payments, as well as higher operating costs. The loss is lower than permitted under the regulatory settlement.

  • Annual Health and Safety Report

    16/07/2019
    Office of Rail and Road (ORR) SearchResearchItems

    he Office of Rail and Road says that Britain’s railway remains one of the safest in the world, but that standards must not be allowed to slip. The ORR’s latest annual report of health and safety shows that the risk of harm to passengers rose in 2018-19, with 13 people dying (excluding suicides) compared with six the previous year. Meanwhile, the deaths of two railway workers in 2018-19 - plus the two track workers killed near Port Talbot on July 3 - further emphasises the need for industry to improve its approach to delivering and planning vital works. The report also identifies three targets for greater industry focus: coping with increased pressure on the system from new rolling stock; supporting people by giving greater recognition to occupational and mental health; and properly resourcing and managing the introduction of technological developments.

  • Why Britain Needs HS2

    11/07/2019
    High Speed Rail Industry Leaders SearchResearchItems

    Cancelling HS2 would result in the loss of 9,000 jobs on the project and severely damage the industry’s ability to realise the vision of the Rail Sector Deal, according to this report from HSRIL. Produced as part of the group’s submission to the Comprehensive Spending Review, the report also warns that axing the £56 billion railway would result in significantly less modal shift of road freight to rail, and increased pressure on the M1, M6 and M40 motorways. Lower productivity and higher carbon emissions would also follow, in addition to loss of confidence of investors in the UK - particularly engineering businesses.

  • Light Rail and Tram Statistics, England: 2018/19

    19/06/2019
    Department for Transport SearchResearchItems

    Light rail and tram usage in England reached record levels in 2018-19, according to the latest statistics released by the Department for Transport. Some 272.4 million journeys were made on eight systems in England, representing a 1.9% increase on the previous year and a 44% increase since 2008-09. Footfall increased on all but two systems, with the strongest annual growth recorded on Manchester Metrolink (6.1%) and Nottingham Express Transit (5.7%). Journeys fell by 1.3% on London Trams and by 3.1% on Sheffield Supertram, which the DfT attributes to a warehouse fire closing parts of the London system for six days, and closures associated with the restart of a five-year rail replacement project in Sheffield. Docklands Light Railway accounted for nearly 45% of total journeys, having carried 121.8 million passengers during the year.

  • On Track with Diversity

    18/06/2019
    ASLEF SearchResearchItems

    The ASLEF union has published its On Track with Diversity report as it looks to increase the numbers of female, BAME and young people applying for driving positions within the industry. It shows that just 6.5% of drivers within Great Britain are female, 8% are from ethnic minorities, and 15% are under 35 years old. ASLEF is looking to narrow these discrepancies, although it says that since the last On Track with Diversity report was published in 2012, some progress and culture changes have been made. A more positive finding of the report (commissioned from the Institute of Employment Rights) is that drivers have one of the smallest wage gaps between men and women - 0.7% compared with a national average figure across all occupations of 18.4%.

  • Rethinking High Speed 2

    01/05/2019
    Economic Affairs Committee SearchResearchItems

    The House of Lords Economic Affairs Committee recommends that HS2 Phase 2b and Northern Powerhouse Rail be delivered as a single programme of works. That’s the conclusion of this report, which says such an approach would allow investment in rail infrastructure in the North to be prioritised where it is needed most. The committee also expresses its reservations over the cost:benefit analysis used to determine HS2’s value for money, and does not see why HS2 or Crossrail 2 are being prioritised over NPR which is “required more urgently”. Such is the need to address overcrowding in the North and improve rail connections between northern cities, the committee argues that HS2 construction should have started at the route’s northern ends in Leeds and Manchester, rather than in London which “is expected to gain most from the project”.

  • Completing Crossrail

    01/05/2019
    National Audit Office SearchResearchItems

    The way that Crossrail has been delivered has “driven unnecessary cost” and damaged public value, according to the National Audit Office in its report into how the troubled project ran into difficulty, missed its original schedule, and required £2.8 billion of additional funds. The NAO says that until the Elizabeth Line opens it will be impossible to determine overall value for money for taxpayers, but urges the Department for Transport and Transport for London to support Crossrail’s executive team in getting the project finished “without unrealistic cost or time expectations”. Although the report is not intended to apportion blame, the NAO has been particularly critical of the unrealistic ‘can do’ view that existed within project management, that the programme could be completed to its original timetable.

  • Lessons from transport for the sponsorship of major projects

    01/04/2019
    Department for Transport SearchResearchItems

    Published jointly by the Department for Transport and the Infrastructure Projects Authority, this report identifies 24 best practice lessons in transport infrastructure delivery across five key themes, including accountability, systems integration and entry into service. Following the recent problems encountered by major projects such as Crossrail and the summer 2018 timetable change, DfT Permanent Secretary Bernadette Kelly writes in her foreword that the report will “help raise the bar in how we deliver projects in government”. She adds: “For me, two points emerge from this work above all. The first is that the delivery of projects is as much about the interaction of human behaviours… as it is about processes. “The second is that major projects of this scale and complexity are inherently difficult, so we must constantly challenge ourselves to strive for excellence if we are to deliver for users and taxpayers.”

  • Connecting Glasgow

    01/04/2019
    Glasgow Connectivity Commission SearchResearchItems

    he Glasgow Connectivity Commission is calling for approximately £10 billion of new transport infrastructure over the next 20 years, to help close the productivity gap between Scotland’s largest city and the rest of the UK. Measures outlined in the Connecting Glasgow report include a city-wide metro system of tram and light rail lines to connect deprived areas with the wider economy. This could include converting heavy rail routes to light rail, developing on-street trams, and reviving abandoned rail routes. The commission also recommends a new metro link to Glasgow Airport via Renfrew and Queen Elizabeth Hospital, a new tunnel connecting Glasgow Central and Queen Street stations, and an extension of Glasgow Central to the south of the River Clyde to prepare for HS2 services. The measures have been estimated to be worth an extra £4.6bn a year to the Scottish economy.

  • Strategic case for metroisation in south and south east London

    01/03/2019
    Transport for London SearchResearchItems

    Transport for London says the ‘metroisation’ of suburban rail lines in south and south east London would provide commuters with more frequent and reliable services. In addition to switching control of all heavy rail services from national operators to TfL, it also calls on government to transfer responsibility and funding for assets including stations and track away from Network Rail. TfL says that this would not only allow investment to be prioritised to where it is most needed, it would also ensure a fully joined-up and integrated network with the same organisation running both infrastructure and trains. TfL believes ‘metroisation’ will support the construction of new affordable homes in south London, Surrey and Kent, and help support the core aim of the Mayor’s Transport Strategy that 80% of all trips in the capital will be made by efficient, sustainable modes of travel by 2041.

  • A rail network for everyone

    01/03/2019
    New Economics Foundation SearchResearchItems

    Subtitled Probing HS2 and its alternatives, this report criticises the Government for not having an overarching transport strategy, and says the railway has a chaotic ownership and management structure which it fears will lead to squandered investment. It puts forward an investment programme that includes electrification and reopened lines as a cheaper way of providing more capacity. It calls for comprehensive upgrades of the West Coast, East Coast and Midland Main Lines at a cost of around £55 billion. It also recommends a passenger-led review of HS2, but says that critics are wrong to attack it from the principle of its being too expensive.

  • The user experience of the railway in Great Britain

    01/03/2019
    Williams Review SearchResearchItems

    One of a series of papers coming from Keith Williams’ review, this report assesses the current evidence on user experience from a passenger and freight customer perspective, explores the impact of experience on public trust, and evaluates how current policy works on the ground for the passenger. It shows historic trends in rail use, looks at why people use rail (mainly to get to work or education), and notes that people who don’t use rail tend to view it less well than those who do. It finds that people don’t trust the railway because they don’t feel they’re at its heart, with positive experiences likely to be dismissed as lucky.

  • Easier fares for all

    01/03/2019
    Rail Delivery Group SearchResearchItems

    Following long and vocal criticism of Britain’s complex fares structure, the Rail Delivery Group puts forward ideas to make the system simpler and better value. Single-leg pricing, simpler refunds and price caps based on weekly season tickets all feature in this report, compiled with help from Transport Focus. The RDG reckons that its proposal will render ‘split-ticketing’ redundant, and make refunds and changes of plan simple. If its reforms are implemented, the RDG reckons the rail industry could stand behind them with a Best Fare Guarantee.

  • Our asks of Government on Brexit and urban transport

    01/03/2019
    Urban Transport Group SearchResearchItems

    Giving “maximum assurances for existing EU staff in the transport sector” is among the key issues set out in this paper that UK government needs to address in relation to Brexit. Although UTG says it does not take a political position on Brexit, it says that concerns remain over how it might affect urban transport authorities - including on staff, funding and the future wider policy context in which UTG members are working. The paper argues that “as transport authorities it is our role to assess what its [Brexit’s] implications might be and to let government know what we think it should be prioritising for urban transport during any negotiations or preparations”.