Issue - meetings

To consider and approve TfN’s response to the consultation on the Whole Industry Strategic Plan (WISP): to receive an update on the Rail National Enhancement Plan (RNEP):  to consider the need for work in respect of the East Coast Main Line, and between Leeds and Sheffield.

Lead: David Hoggarth

7.1          Members received the report from the Strategic Rail Director who outlined the key points in the report.

7.2          Members discussed a variety of issues including the East Coast Mainline, Liverpool Central station and the Skipton to Colne link.

In relation to the East Coast Mainline Mr. Peter Kennan highlighted the importance of services that are currently suspended due to Covid continuing to be treated as part of the substantive timetable.  He stressed the importance of not assuming that because a service had been suspended it was necessarily of a lower value than those services kept running.  He accepted that there was a need to review services overall in light of the changes in circumstances, but this needed to be based on the substantive timetable.

The Chief Executive noted that any review of the timetable needed to take into account shifts in demand that had taken place as a result of wider changes post-pandemic: it was not necessarily the case that what was had before was needed moving forward.

Resolved:

1)   That the progress with development of the case for capacity upgrades to the East Coast Main Line, impact of the Integrated Rail Plan and pending update of the Rail Network Enhancements Pipeline be noted;

2)   That Board supports the proposal to create a collaborative working model for development of the infrastructure for the East Coast Main Line north of York, on the same model successfully being used in Manchester including a ‘Blueprint’ to identify a co-ordinated long-term service and infrastructure solution to deliver the capacity and connectivity required across the North and to advise the Department for Transport and Network Rail that this is our view;

That Board supports the need for the study identified in the IRP in relation to connectivity between Sheffield and Leeds to be taken forward at pace;