The immediate agenda - Transport Policy and Planning in Great Britain - page 393

Box 23.2 Rail enhancements identified in the High Level Output Specification for
Control Period 4 (2009-2014)
• Approval of the Thameslink project (major upgrade of the north-south regional
route across London via Blackfriars) - total cost £5.5bn
• Grants of £125m and £425m respectively towards the major redevelopments of
Birmingham New Street and Reading stations to eliminate the network's present
worst bottlenecks
• £150m grants for improvements at 150 other stations to be identiied by Network
Rail - typically medium-sized, interchange stations
• 1,300 additional carriages (900 for London and the South-East) as part of a
capacity enhancement programme including platform lengthening, power
upgrades and additional depot facilities
• £200m to start work on a Strategic Freight Network which will provide routes
capable of accommodating European-sized rolling stock and bypass congested
(passenger) sections of the network.
Source: DfT 2007b
use. As a vision it simply does not add up. While it is commendable that the
Government is trying - something which has been sadly lacking in the past -
there is no real commitment to growing the railway.
(Christian Wolmar The Independent 25 July 2007 quoted in LTT 474)
The White Paper (and Wolmar's comments) were published before a decision
on London's CrossRail could be announced. This is in a league of its own as far as
expenditure is concerned with an estimated cost of £16bn. Alistair Darling - promoted
to Chancellor of the Exchequer following Gordon Brown's succession as Prime
Minister - was able announce as part of the 2007 Comprehensive Spending Review
a funding package to deliver the scheme (LTT 479). This involves a three-way split
between the Government, business contributions and farepayers. The Government
grant is sourced from the TIF Productivity fund. The business contributions include
direct payments from Canary Wharf, the City of London, BAA (Heathrow Airport)
and others, developer contributions secured through planning permissions and the
use of a new business rate supplement announced by the Chancellor at the same time
(HM Treasury 2007a). The farepayers' contribution will service the debt raised during
construction by TfL and Network Rail. Subject to Royal Assent of the CrossRail Bill
in summer 2008, construction will begin in 2010 and services could be running from
2017.
23.6 Putting Passengers First
Putting Passengers First was the title of a DfT publication at the end of 2006 containing
proposals for reform of the bus regulatory framework in England and Wales (DfT
2006e). It followed a review of bus services and meetings with key stakeholders led
by the then newly appointed Secretary of State Douglas Alexander. Following further
consultation and detailed amendment its proposals were carried forward into the Local
Transport Act.