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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].

 

  • The Economic Contribution of UK Rail

    23/02/2018
    Oxford Economics SearchResearchItems

    This new research concludes that rail is worth £36.4bn in Gross Value Added to the UK, supporting 597,100 jobs and providing £11bn in tax revenues. The figures are for 2016. GVA per job is on average 50% higher, it says, “than the average across all UK industries”. Geographical distribution is not even: the report says the sector “accounts for a disproportionate share of GVA and jobs in London”.

  • Update on the Thameslink Programme

    15/02/2018
    House of Commons Committee of Public Accounts SearchResearchItems

    The Department for Transport and Network Rail must ensure there are no further delays to Thameslink after full introduction of services was put back a year to December 2019, this committee says. It argues the DfT and NR should “establish clear arrangements at the outset of future programmes to plan how services will be introduced and run.” Other recommendations include DfT/NR “outlining what new arrangements they have put in place to better estimate and oversee the costs of projects” as well as establishing “formal processes through which learning from the Thameslink programme can be applied to future major programmes, including High Speed Two.”

  • Future transport: how is London responding to technological innovation?

    13/02/2018
    London Assembly SearchResearchItems

    This report focuses on the challenges and how effectively the Mayor and Transport for London “monitor and plan for the emergence of new technology” - specifically Connected and Autonomous Vehicles; app-based services; and drones. Recommendations include the Mayor and TfL considering “the potential development and impact of autonomous bus technology”; that TfL and London Boroughs look at “whether to introduce a London-wide licensing regime for dockless cycle hire”; and that the Mayor and TfL “should proactively engage in discussions with the Government, London Boroughs, the drone industry, National Air Traffic Services and other relevant stakeholders about the future control system for drones in London”.

  • UK rail industry financial information 2016-17

    24/01/2018
    Office of Rail and Road (ORR) SearchResearchItems

    At £19.5bn the cost of running the railways in 2016/2017 rose 2.7%, the Office of Rail and Road reports, while passenger receipts rose 1.1% to £9.7bn. Government’s contribution fell 0.7% to £3.4bn, with the Department for Transport also lending £6.1bn to Network Rail. NR’s costs rose 6.5% to £7.6bn, largely because debt financing costs rose by 26%; the organisation spent £1.8bn on this. Enhancement work accounted for £3.4bn.

  • Freight study call for evidence

    18/01/2018
    National Infrastructure Commission SearchResearchItems

    In preparation for its forthcoming reports (an interim one this autumn and a final one in spring 2019), the National Infrastructure Commission is calling for “evidence on the future of freight in the UK”. It closes on March 5. The NIC says the study “seeks to understand the key constraints to freight distribution between cities and within cities, its wider implications on our transport systems, and the ways in which innovations… could improve the efficiency and resilience of the freight system while at the same time helping to tackle the broader issues and challenges that face our national transport network, urban centres, and population as a whole.”

  • The Thameslink, Southern and Great Northern rail franchise

    16/01/2018
    National Audit Office SearchResearchItems

    The National Audit Office makes a number of recommendations for the Department for Transport. These include that it should “work more closely with Network Rail to understand the impact of high frequency of services on congested parts of the network on passenger disruption, and how to manage and recover from disruption more quickly”; should “strengthen its monitoring of train operators’ crew planning when they are near the end of their franchise” and should “gain assurance at the outset that the likelihood of unplanned disruption on passenger services is minimised”.

  • Strategic Transort Plan: Draft for public consultation

    11/01/2018
    Transport for the North SearchResearchItems

    Together with partners, Transport for the North says it is to “examine the case for a Northern Chord between HS2 and Northern Powerhouse Rail in Cheshire.” This, it says, “has the potential to support transformational economic development”. It also says it will examine the effect of connectivity improvements on economic development in advance of HS2’s Phase 2b. Given timescales, TfN argues that “now is the time to start the development of interventions that will be implemented in the late 2020s.”

  • Transport Infrastructure Efficiency Strategy

    18/12/2017
    Transport for London SearchResearchItems

    The result of collaboration between the bodies mentioned above, this strategy gives “seven core challenges which we address to deliver efficiencies”. They are: to judge strategic choice and trade-offs; improve the way projects are set up; create a transport infrastructure performance benchmarking forum; establish a common approach; promote long-term collaborative relationships; challenge standards; and exploit digital technologies and standardise assets.

  • Community transport and the Department for Transport’s proposed consultation

    14/12/2017
    House of Commons SearchResearchItems

    This paper from the Transport Committee recommends that in seeking to ensure UK guidance and legislation is in line with EU Regulations, the Department for Transport achieves the maintenance of “high quality, safe and secure community transport services for people who might otherwise be left isolated.” It also argues that as the country leaves the EU the DfT begins “to consider longer term legislative change to maintain and foster the UK’s unique approach to community transport.”

  • Transforming Infrastructure Performance

    06/12/2017
    Infrastructure and Projects Authority SearchResearchItems

    This is described as the government’s plan “to increase the effectiveness of investment in infrastructure”. It says it will “encourage promoters to consider how to integrate projects and programmes across traditional sector boundaries, exploit the opportunities made possible by using new technologies and ensure that the outcomes provide maximum benefit against the expenditure incurred.” The paper lists three strategic challenges as vital to improving infrastructure delivery and performance: prioritising investment in the right projects; improving productivity in delivery; and maximising the overall benefits of infrastructure investment.

  • How do design an infrastructure strategy for the UK

    01/12/2017
    Institute of Government SearchResearchItems

    The Institute of Government says the “UK government’s decisions on economic infrastructure are inconsistent and subject to constant change” and argues there are “systemic problems with government institutions and the politics of infrastructure decision making”. Recommendations include making the National Infrastructure Commission an executive non-departmental public body; developing a National Infrastructure Strategy cross-government; and setting up a Commission for Public Engagement in infrastructure decision-making

  • State of the Nation 2017: Social Mobility in Great Britain

    30/11/2017
    Social Mobility Commission SearchResearchItems

    Although focusing on a wide range of factors that affect social mobility, this report says that living “in a disconnected area can lead to worse social mobility outcomes in an individual’s working life” and that the “role of transport is critical in connecting people to jobs and wider services”. It reports that transport spending in London is over three times that of the East Midlands, South West or North East - and that even taking into account HS2 and the Northern Powerhouse, over half of planned transport spend is in London.

  • Connecting people: a strategic vision for rail

    29/11/2017
    Department for Transport SearchResearchItems

    “If the first stages of Britain’s railway renaissance were reversing decades of decline, and securing the long-term funding to modernist the infrastructure, then the next stage – outlined in this document – will change the way the industry works. This will be a process of evolution rather than revolution, in order to avoid the danger of reorganisation becoming the sole focus of the sector, at the expense of the passenger and freight customer.”

  • Update on the Thameslink Programme

    01/11/2017
    National Audit Office SearchResearchItems

    Although Thameslink infrastructure costs increased in 2015 by 9.4% (£474m), the NAO reports that they are now stable and that overall, “we consider that the programme has a realistic prospect of delivering value for money.” At 2017 prices, infrastructure works are now expected to cost £5.5bn. Recommendations for future projects include to “put in place commercial arrangements that incentivise major programme contractors to provide clear visibility of emerging cost risks” and to “ensure that the governance arrangements encourage collaboration to the degree needed by the nature and complexity of the programme, and provide clarity over decision-making authority. These should be flexible to allow them to be adapted at different stages as the programme matures.”

  • Alternative Transport budget

    01/11/2017
    Campaign for Better Transport SearchResearchItems

    The CBT argues that the government should set up a ‘Network Development Fund’ in order “to develop and implement new and reopened lines and stations”; that it should revisit electrification; and that it should reform fares. It also says that regulated fares should be frozen this year, and in future rise by the Consumer Prices Index rather than the Retail Price Index.

  • Independent survey of attitudes to infrastructure in the United Kingdom

    01/11/2017
    Copper Consultancy/TLF Research SearchResearchItems

    This report argues that there “is an information deficit on infrastructure and housing” - but also “consensus that we must invest in the interest of the national economy.” Recommendations include that “priorities and criteria that make up investment decisions need to be explained to earn public buy-in.” It further concludes that a project’s “wider benefits are not linked to investment decisions in people’s consciousness. Industry and Government need to identify and demonstrate how the two are connected in order to gain support from people.”

  • Industrial strategy: Building a Britain fit for the future

    01/11/2017
    HM Government SearchResearchItems

    “We must make sure our infrastructure choices not only provide the basics for the economy, they must actively support our long-term productivity, providing greater certainty and clear strategic direction,” says this much-anticipated white paper. It says there is a commitment to increasing infrastructure investment, and references High Speed 2 as being “transformational”. The paper reports that the National Productivity Investment Fund will be extended to 2022/23 and increased from £23bn to £31bn - as well as saying that “public infrastructure investment will have doubled in a decade by 2022/23”.

  • Fast Track to digital railway

    31/10/2017
    Balfour Beatty SearchResearchItems

    “The relationship between Network Rail and its supply chain will have to evolve from being largely transactional… to a partnership approach based on a longer-term strategic vision”. That’s according to this paper from Balfour Beatty considering how to deliver the ‘digital railway’ and unlock capacity. Other key points include that the private sector “has an important role to play” (such as through ‘Design, Build, Fund, Operate, Maintain’ concessions); considering all aspects of the railway as an integrated whole, and investing in skills.

  • Passenger Rail Service Complaints 2017-18 Q1 Statistical Release

    31/10/2017
    Office of Rail and Road (ORR) SearchResearchItems

    Passenger complaints in the first quarter of 2017/18 rose over 3% against the previous year when measured by 100,000 journeys, according to the ORR. Although the greatest percentage of complaints (21%) were still about punctuality/reliability, this fell 4 percentage points over last year, while complaints about ticket buying facilities rose 2pp and measured 8% of the total. Also up were complaints about smart cards, and various aspects of delay compensation. In total there were 28.1 complaints per 100,000 journeys.

  • Foundations for Growth: CBI/AECOM Infrastructure Survey 2017

    31/10/2017
    CBI/AECOM SearchResearchItems

    CBI director-general Carolyn Fairbairn says in her foreword that “in the face of uncertainty, businesses want to see infrastructure delivery at the heart of the government’s agenda.” Some 61% of rail providers are dissatisfied or very dissatisfied with the ‘delivery and policy environment’, according to the latest version of this survey. Also, despite the current £38bn investment in Control Period 5, confidence that rail networks will improve is at -22.

  • How to value infrastructure: improving cost benefit analysis

    30/09/2017
    Institute of Government SearchResearchItems

    The IOG argues that Cost Benefit Analysis is the best tool available to government when it comes to appraising and prioritising investment - but that it can “be misused, inconsistent and poorly communicated. It does not always play a central role in decision making and is too often used to justify decisions that have already been made.” It therefore considers that improving the use of CBA is vital. This paper lists difficulties - of capturing impacts; unrealistic cost estimations; lack of consistency between project assessments; and poor communication - and offers recommendations on how it believes all four can be improved.

  • HS2 On Track

    01/09/2017
    High Speed Rail Industry Leaders SearchResearchItems

    “HS2 is the biggest investment in the UK’s skills base in generations,” this report claims. It says that after the award of £6.6bn in civil engineering contracts, the project will initially create some 16,000 jobs. With more than 15,000km (9,000 miles) of high-speed rail planned around the world, the paper suggests that “£1 trillion worth of potential export is available to ‘Brand Britain’ through high speed rail.”

  • Review of the TfL WiFi Pilot

    01/09/2017
    Transport for London SearchResearchItems

    Transport for London has used depersonalised WiFi connection data from smartphones to see how people travel on the Underground. A pilot undertaken on part of the system last November/December showed that, for example, 32% of the devices measured on a route between King’s Cross St Pancras and Waterloo travelled via the Victoria and Bakerloo lines, changing at Oxford Circus. TfL says it is now planning a network-wide data collection process.

  • Environment Report 2017

    01/09/2017
    Crossrail SearchResearchItems

    Reducing energy on construction by 15% (against a target of 8%), and recycling 98% of the construction and demolition waste, are among facts presented in this Crossrail report on its environmental performance. At Old Oak Common, the use of things such as solar roof panels is expected to reduce operational carbon emissions at the line’s new depot by 35%; and at 319 tonnes, the Class 345 trains are reportedly 25% lighter than equivalent existing trains.

  • High Speed One at 10: measuring HS1’s impact on Kent’s visitor economy

    01/09/2017
    High Speed 1 Ltd SearchResearchItems

    Some 73% of Kent tourism businesses “believe that leisure tourism has increased as a result of HS1.” That is one of the key findings from HS1 Ltd as it takes stock in the year of its tenth anniversary celebrations. It also concludes that 47% of visitors to Kent by rail used HS1, with 30% of those surveyed being influenced in their decision to visit by the existence of HS1 services. Leisure journeys to Kent via HS1 increased from 100,000 in 2010 to 890,000 in 2016, it says.