King’s Speech (4th Day)

Lord Bradshaw Excerpts

Monday 22nd July 2024 Lords Chamber

[Lord Bradshaw (LD)]

My Lords, in the time allowed I will concentrate on transport infrastructure. I completely reject the mantra of the Conservative Party that organisations such as British Rail were inefficient. I ran the west coast main line when over 90% of the trains arrived at the right time and almost without cancellations. These are the standards we need to get back to.

One of the big obstacles is the rail regulator, which has not only neglected its statutory duties but instead concentrated on promoting open-access competition. This concept is wasteful of capacity. It is estimated, for example, that 25% of the main line capacity on the east coast main line is used by five-coach trains to destinations served. These could instead be run as 10-carriage trains to Doncaster and York and split there. We need to use the available capacity on the east coast main line, which is very scarce, by running maximum-length trains. The ORR grants access rights without establishing that they are actually feasible, and it then protects them by law. This is why it has proved impossible to produce new timetables for the east coast main line. The Rail Regulator was part of the privatisation model imposed on the railways by the Railways Act 1993, which included compensation for delays imposed by other operators and by Network Rail—that is, the taxpayer. These mechanisms were identified by Keith Williams as a major source of cost inefficiency, which needs to be got rid of—this is vital.

We can use straight electric trains. We should go forward by announcing our intention, first—as my noble friend Lord Fox said—to maintain the proposed route of HS2 north of Birmingham. It will take a very long time to design and implement any alternative, and the capacity is needed urgently. I would announce the intention to electrify comprehensively the Midland main line when money is available, because it would use straight electric trains, which are more economical than the proposed hybrid trains now under construction. These should instead be used on cross-country services, which were shamefully neglected by the previous Government. Cross-country is a more suitable route for hybrid trains as the extremities are never likely to be electrified, but there is a lot of opportunity to use these trains in electric mode on core routes through places such as Birmingham and Doncaster. Such a move would bring fresh heart to the east Midlands, which is near the bottom of English regions for capital investment. This move would also bring the possibility of work for the Derby rail workshops.

The east coast main line has not seen an uplift in timings, and it is urgently necessary to cut half an hour off journey times between Edinburgh and London to provide an attractive alternative to air travel. A useful start would be made by eliminating capacity bottlenecks such as the flat crossing at Newark, by running at 140 mph and by completely revising the calling patterns on the route. It is essential that the timetable enhancements promised following the £4 billion investment in new trains are introduced soon.

Freight also needs attention. The Government have a modest list of infill schemes provided by the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport, amounting to 600 miles. This will improve connectivity, efficiency and decarbonisation. More energy needs to be spent on improving the route through Ely between the east coast ports and the rest of the network. I will stop there because I have run out of time.