Agenda item

Cllr Blake

The Committee was given an update on the main areas of Transport for the North’s (TfN) work that the Combined Authority is currently engaged with. Councillor Blake reflected on the journey that TfN had been on since its establishment in April 2018. Especially in regards to its working with partners across the north and the overall lack of resilience in the railway system. They believed that there needs to be a pan-northern strategic infrastructure with a local focus which does not overlap the work of the Combined Authority. TfN aspires to be accountable and transparent and to not necessarily model London.

Councillor Blake noted that the Grayling Review had taken place and the Williams Review was now due, post-election. TfN have submitted proposals to Keith Williams and awaits the publication of the review before deciding formally what role we think TfN ought to have and what role local Members may want to have directly with the new structure (if taken forward by a new Government).

A change had taken place in that operators were now talking about the customer and ensuring passengers had a say. She felt that the current franchising arrangement was not delivering for the travelling public and that it was under ‘active consideration’ but that TfN could not disclose any detail at this time due to commercial sensitivity. Although everyone was aware of the high levels of dis-satisfaction, particularly with the ongoing use of Pacer trains.

The Committee was reminded that the Transpennine route upgrade was underway and had experienced setbacks but was moving forward. HS2 had seen significant investment which also needed to be seen in the North- there should not be a choice between Northern Powerhouse rail and HS2. A large level of investment was required in the North’s infrastructure to unlock its economic potential. Also de-carbonisation was now at the centre of all deliberations.

One goal was to reduce congestion of the road network and to open up the Calder and Leeds waterways to use wharfs for freight. Socially the North required an integrated and smart travel arrangement similar to Oyster which TfN recognised.

Transport for the North informed the committee that they have a members group who are producing a Northern Transport Charter which should have a Northern budget attached. Members asked for sight of this Action Plan.

Members also noted that there was a belief that HS2 was not going to be delivered in the North and this had been widely held for some time by many parties. Councillor Blake appreciated that there had been objectors to HS2 but that in the main there was cross-party support. The scheme was originally Birmingham-Manchester- Leeds and strong economic arguments still supported this. The improvements to  connectivity and capacity still presented an incredibly strong case. If HS2 was to be cancelled there were still many large outstanding pieces of work required to update old stations and system works as capacity was at its limit.

The Councillor recognised that there was fragmentation across operators and when the franchises were launched certain assumptions had been made as to planned infrastructure improvements. She acknowledged that the current level of disconnect between operators and Network Rail could not continue. It was felt it had been positive that recently Network Rail had been engaging with TfN, but that there were still issues.

The Committee thanked Councillor Blake for a comprehensive report.

Resolved:       That the Committee notes the ongoing activity with Transport for the North.