Rail investment pipelines: ending boom and bust

Transport Committee Open Inquiry
Opened: 17 Dec 2024 Parliament page
The Transport Committee is examining investment pipelines for the railway. This inquiry will examine how a planned, steady pipeline of projects and investments (including elements such as track enhancements, station upgrades, and rolling stock orders) could benefit the development of the railway, including by enabling the rail supply industry to … Read more
15 Recommendations
12 Conclusions
1 Report
5 Oral sessions
5 Events
Activity timeline 12 events
1 May
2026
Report published
10 Feb
2026
Report published
16 Jul
2025
Oral evidence
16 Jul
2025
Formal meeting (oral evidence session) · The Grimond Room, Portcullis House
2 Jul
2025
Oral evidence
2 Jul
2025
Formal meeting (oral evidence session) · The Grimond Room, Portcullis House
18 Jun
2025
Oral evidence
18 Jun
2025
Formal meeting (oral evidence session) · The Grimond Room, Portcullis House
11 Jun
2025
Oral evidence
11 Jun
2025
Formal meeting (oral evidence session) · The Thatcher Room, Portcullis House
7 May
2025
Oral evidence
7 May
2025
Formal meeting (oral evidence session) · The Grimond Room, Portcullis House
Oral evidence sessions 5 sessions
16 Jul 2025
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Alan Over · Department for Transport Alex Hynes · Department for Transport Lord Hendy CBE · Department for Transport
2 Jul 2025
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David Leeder · Transport Investment Limited Dawn Badminton-Capps · North East Combined Authority Huw Merriman, former Rail Minister Jim Steer · Greengauge 21 Liz Goldsby · Transport for Greater Manchester Mal Drury-Rose · West Midlands Rail Executive
18 Jun 2025
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John Leach · RMT John McGookin · Unite the Union Jonathan Spruce · Institution of Civil Engineers Jonathan Spruce · Institution for Civil Engineers Mick Whelan · ASLEF Miss Lydia Amarquaye · Institution of Mechanical Engineers Neil Robertson · National Skills Academy for Rail Robin Jenks · TSSA (Transport Salaried Staffs' Association) Stephen Barber · Permanent Way Institution
11 Jun 2025
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Christoph Pasternak · Eurofima Malcolm Brown · Angel Trains Ltd Peter Broadley · Alstom UK & Ireland Sambit Banerjee · Siemens Mobility Limited
7 May 2025
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Elaine Clark OBE · Rail Forum Jeremy Westlake · Network Rail Michelle Craven-Faulkner · Rail Forum Noel Travers · Railway Industry Association Robert Cook · Railway Industry Association Sir Andrew Haines · Network Rail
Title HC No. Published Items Response
7th Report - Rail investment pipelines: ending boom and bust HC 575 10 Feb 2026 27 Responded
Recommendations & Conclusions
13 results
Clear
1 Conclusion Acknowledged
7th Report - Rail investment pipel…
Uncertain and uneven rail investment cycles weaken the UK rail industry sector.
The UK rail network is a core national asset, supporting its own industrial ecosystem and underpinning broader economic growth and employment. The message from the rail industry has been clear: investment in that asset has too often been characterised by … Read more
Government Response
The government acknowledges the importance of investment stability and reducing volatility in the rail industry, and states that it will strengthen how it communicates and manages the rail investment portfolio by improving the cadence, clarity and consistency of public information.
Department for Transport
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2 Conclusion Acknowledged
7th Report - Rail investment pipel…
Major rail programmes require steady, sequenced, and clearly communicated investment spending.
Even major programmes which should be providing a pipeline of large-scale work far into the future have previously been subject to radical changes of scope and timetable. The January 2026 announcement about Northern Powerhouse Rail brings great expectations—but at present, … Read more
Government Response
The government recognises the concern that instability in rail investment can increase costs but does not accept rail investment has been characterised by systemic "boom and bust" cycles.
Department for Transport
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3 Conclusion Acknowledged
7th Report - Rail investment pipel…
Smooth, stable rail investment pipelines are crucial but often lacking in practice.
There is a widespread consensus that establishing a smooth and stable pipeline of investment would bring manifold benefits to both the railway and the rail supply industry. With more certainty and visibility of upcoming work, and fewer peaks and troughs, … Read more
Government Response
The Government agrees that electrification remains a key tool in the decarbonisation of rail and that long-term clarity is important for industry confidence. However, the Government does not consider that a fixed route- kilometre target would represent the most effective mechanism.
Department for Transport
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4 Conclusion Acknowledged
7th Report - Rail investment pipel…
Steady rail investment pipelines foster jobs, skills development, and innovation across the industry.
A steady pipeline would support jobs at all levels of the supply chain, facilitate workforce planning, help industry address skills shortages and foster innovation. Success stories from Scotland, where there has been greater certainty of future workload, show the relationship … Read more
Government Response
The Government agrees with the Committee’s emphasis on integration and is already working with operators and delivery partners on upcoming fleet replacement programmes to ensure that infrastructure requirements are considered from the outset. They also agree that the national train fleet needs to be simplified.
Department for Transport
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5 Conclusion Acknowledged
7th Report - Rail investment pipel…
Publish a clear rail investment pipeline highlighting opportunities for private and public funders.
Injection of private sector investment into rail assets, including track and other infrastructure, has been hindered by the lack of a clear, credible pipeline of projects and a failure by Government to identify where such investment would be welcomed and … Read more
Government Response
The Government agrees that transparency is important and that industry benefits from clear forward visibility. Rather than relying on infrequent static documents, the Government is moving towards more regular, structured and accessible publication of the enhancements portfolio.
Department for Transport
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6 Conclusion Acknowledged
7th Report - Rail investment pipel…
Control Period funding mechanism provides certainty but experiences uneven spending and contracting delays.
The five-year funding settlement provided through the Control Period process, which is set to be continued through Funding Period Reviews, gives a reasonable degree of certainty and visibility of spend on operations, maintenance and renewals. Nonetheless, the mechanism could be … Read more
Government Response
The Government is clear that Spending Review settlements do not constitute project-by-project approvals. Enhancements funding is deliberately provided at portfolio level through Spending Reviews, following detailed bids informed by strategic priorities and robust scheme forecasts.
Department for Transport
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7 Recommendation Acknowledged
7th Report - Rail investment pipel…
Commission independent review of Control Period 7 and spend volatility to improve future funding.
We recommend that the Government commission an independent review of the beginning of Control Period 7 in comparison to the beginning of previous Control Periods. The review should also survey the volatility of spend within Control Periods, identify whether this … Read more
Government Response
The government agrees that any pipeline must distinguish between funded commitments and earlier-stage proposals, and states that funding is normally committed only to the next stage of development.
Department for Transport
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10 Conclusion Acknowledged
7th Report - Rail investment pipel…
Delay and withdrawal of immature rail schemes erodes industry and community confidence.
The delay or withdrawal of immature schemes is disruptive for industry and disappointing for communities who expected to benefit from new or upgraded facilities and services. It erodes confidence in the ability of the system to prioritise the right projects, … Read more
Government Response
The Government agrees that credible visibility is essential for both the supply chain and private investors, and recognises the increasing role of Devolved Administrations and local partners.
Department for Transport
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11 Recommendation Acknowledged
7th Report - Rail investment pipel…
Require the RNEP to clearly set out committed funding and provide 5-year rolling certainty.
The RNEP should set out clearly how much funding has been committed, from what sources, and for the purpose of reaching which milestones. It should provide certainty at least five years into the future on a rolling basis, with an … Read more
Government Response
The government recognises the importance of devolved and regional partners in shaping and delivering rail investment and states that the RNEP is designed to allow schemes to progress independently with potential to enter the national portfolio at any stage.
Department for Transport
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16 Recommendation Acknowledged
7th Report - Rail investment pipel…
Clarify relationship between UK Infrastructure Pipeline and RNEP for consistent industry information.
While we recognise the fledging status of the UK Infrastructure Pipeline, we are unconvinced of its current usefulness to stakeholders in the rail industry because of its lack of detail at the necessary scale. We ask the Department for Transport … Read more
Government Response
The government agrees that transparency is important and the industry benefits from clear forward visibility and is moving towards more regular, structured and accessible publication of the enhancements portfolio, outlining multiple mechanisms to provide certainty and visibility.
Department for Transport
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24 Conclusion Acknowledged
7th Report - Rail investment pipel…
Government acknowledges rail industry fragmentation and commits to Great British Railways for integration.
We welcome the Government’s recognition that industry fragmentation has contributed to siloed decision-making and misaligned incentives between stakeholders, and its commitment to establishing a whole- system organisation, Great British Railways, to tackle this. We look forward to holding GBR and … Read more
Government Response
The government welcomes the provision for a Long Term Rail Strategy in the Railways Bill, stating it's long overdue and should provide a basis for consensus and certainty.
Department for Transport
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25 Recommendation Acknowledged
7th Report - Rail investment pipel…
Commit successive governments to long-term consensus on rail investment priorities and consistent delivery.
The advent of Great British Railways provides a golden opportunity for decision-makers on the railway to approach investment planning differently. Successive governments must be prepared to commit to reaching a long-term consensus on which investments should be prioritised, and to … Read more
Government Response
The government welcomes the provision for a Long Term Rail Strategy in the Railways Bill, stating it's long overdue and should provide a basis for consensus and certainty.
Department for Transport
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26 Recommendation Acknowledged
7th Report - Rail investment pipel…
Require Secretary of State to lay the Long Term Rail Strategy before Parliament, including changes.
The Long Term Rail Strategy guiding Great British Railways needs to have a timescale of at least 30 years to provide the necessary vision for underpinning shorter-term decisions on specific projects and funding. It also needs to be protected from … Read more
Government Response
The government welcomes the provision for a Long Term Rail Strategy in the Railways Bill, stating it's long overdue and should provide a basis for consensus and certainty.
Department for Transport
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Government Response AI assessment · 27 of 15 classified
Accepted 8
Accepted in Part 6
Acknowledged 13
Total 15 recs + 12 conclusions