Railways: Standards

(asked on 1st October 2018) - View Source

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by the Secretary of State for Transport on 13 September (HC170781), why they intend to diverge from the rules of the European Railway Agency; and what benefits they anticipate will come from any such divergence.


Answered by
Baroness Sugg Portrait
Baroness Sugg
This question was answered on 16th October 2018

The Government intends to create the ability to diverge from specifications set by the European Railway Agency, where there is a need to do so, but the UK will be still aligned with European standards. Any decisions about diverging from these rules will depend on their future content and whether they support the UK’s interests and meet the needs of the industry and passengers.

These decisions will be carefully managed so that the impacts and benefits are fully assessed. An anticipated benefit of divergence is that HS2 platforms could be built at a higher level than the standards currently prescribed in the European framework. This would provide level boarding and improved accessibility for users of HS2.

Reticulating Splines