Rail line capacity constraints
Anticipated capacity challenges on specific rail lines (e.g., West Coast Main Line) hindering infrastructure development.
135 items
5 sources
2 inquiries
Strongest theme matches
Mixed across source types and ranked by classifier confidence plus text match strength.
Committee recommendation
100match
#44 - West Coast Main Line capacity challenge expected by late 2030s due to HS2 changes
The Department acknowledged the capacity challenge on the West Coast Main Line as a consequence of not building Phase 2, estimating that it will reach capacity by the late 2030s. These capacity concerns were also raised with us in evidence from Manchester City Council, Transport for Greater Manchester and the High Speed Rail Group.75 The Department 69 Qq...
Matched on
terms: capacity, line, rail
Committee recommendation
100match
#43 - Phase 2 cancellation limits HS2 capacity benefits to London-Birmingham route
The HS2 programme was originally intended to improve capacity on the West Coast Main Line. However, with the cancellation of Phase 2, the revised programme will only address capacity between London and Birmingham. The Department is exploring options to run longer HS2 trains north of Birmingham, but this would require additional works at existing stations.73 Further options for...
Matched on
terms: capacity, line, rail
Committee recommendation
90match
#16 - First Report - Railway Infrastructure in Wales
The development of the HS2 programme in England could yield direct benefits to Welsh rail passengers if it is accompanied by enhancements to the North Wales mainline, including the upgrades at Chester and Crewe stations which will be required for full electrification of the North Wales mainline to proceed. We recommend that the UK Government, working in partnership...
Matched on
terms: capacity, line, rail
Committee recommendation
81match
#4 - Twenty-Fourth - Crossrail: A progress update
We are concerned that TfL and the Department do not have a plan to maximise the long-term, wider economic benefits of Crossrail. When open, the Elizabeth line should increase capacity in central London by around 10%, reduce journey times, improve connectivity and be a fully accessible railway. TfL expects the Elizabeth line to contribute towards its net zero...
Matched on
terms: capacity, line, rail
Committee recommendation
81match
#22 - Second Report - The Integrated Rail Plan for the North and Midlands
The Government’s fixation on journey times as a benefit of the IRP must not overshadow the issue of capacity. It seems highly unlikely that an upgraded Victorian line can replicate the capacity increases achievable by building new track.
Matched on
terms: capacity, line, rail
Committee recommendation
81match
#28 - Second Report - The Integrated Rail Plan for the North and Midlands
The Government has put together a strong case for the Integrated Rail Plan, but it is based on a best-case scenario which may not come to pass. Cost and time overruns for major infrastructure projects are commonplace, and disruption can be extensive and unforeseen. The promised journey time improvements may not be achievable in practice, and the decision...
Matched on
terms: capacity, line, rail
Committee recommendation
73match
#1 - First Report - Railway Infrastructure in Wales
There is a strong environmental and economic case for substantially enhancing the rail infrastructure that serves Wales, and the passenger experience of slow services and inadequate stations only underlines the need for an upgraded network. The South East Wales Transport Commission, chaired by Lord Burns, demonstrated the relationship between enhanced rail infrastructure, integrated public transport, decarbonisation and, ultimately,...
Matched on
terms: line, rail
Committee recommendation
73match
#3 - Twenty-Fourth - Crossrail: A progress update
It is not clear to passengers and businesses when the Elizabeth line will open or what services will be available. The Elizabeth line services will open in stages. Services have been running on the eastern and western ends of the line (under the brand name ‘TfL Rail’) since June 2017 and May 2018, respectively. Opening of the central...
Matched on
terms: line, rail
Committee recommendation
73match
#15 - Twenty-Fourth - Crossrail: A progress update
Once the central section opens, commuters must still change to other Elizabeth line services to continue their journeys on the eastern and western ends. The opening of full east-west services must align with national rail timetable changes which take place in May and December each year. TfL told us it was reviewing the staged opening approach inherited from...
Matched on
terms: line, rail
Committee recommendation
73match
#13 - Second Report - The Integrated Rail Plan for the North and Midlands
The redevelopment of Leeds station is key to fully realising the benefits of the Integrated Rail Plan on the economy and connectivity in Leeds and West Yorkshire, and more widely. Already over capacity in its current configuration, Leeds station will not be able to handle the increased services and passengers generated by the IRP, and this will continue...
Matched on
terms: capacity, rail
Committee recommendation
72match
#7 - First Report - Railway Infrastructure in Wales
Bringing forward new proposals for greater connectivity between Swansea-Cardiff- Bristol, which would include completing electrification on the mainline between Cardiff and Swansea and a Swansea Bay Metro to integrate the public transport network westwards to Pembrokeshire and Carmarthenshire and feed rail patronage from Swansea, would be an important sign of the UK Government’s commitment to its green agenda...
Matched on
terms: line, rail
Committee recommendation
72match
#6 - First Report - Railway Infrastructure in Wales
Both the South East Wales Transport Commission and the Williams-Shapps White Paper make a powerful case for the role rail, and in particular electrification, can play in the decarbonisation agenda. It underlines how short-sighted and regrettable Railway Infrastructure in Wales 35 the decision to cancel the electrification of the Great Western mainline from Cardiff to Swansea was, as...
Matched on
terms: line, rail
Committee recommendation
72match
#18 - Twenty-Fourth - Crossrail: A progress update
The Department and TfL told us that, when the Elizabeth line opens, they expect it to increase rail capacity in central London by around 10%, reduce journey times, and be fully accessible.50 These were the transport benefits set out in the last published business case in 2011.51 TfL explained that the extra capacity would be useful as we...
Matched on
terms: capacity, line, rail
Inquiry recommendation
69match
LADB-10 - Prohibit changes to line 3 operations until risk assessment proves safety
No change should be made in the direction of running on line 3 or in the current speed limits on any of the lines out to two miles six chains from Paddington Station unless and until the following have been done to the satisfaction of the HMRI, namely: (i) a risk assessment has demonstrated that the change can...
Matched on
terms: line, rail
Committee recommendation
69match
#23 - Second Report - The Integrated Rail Plan for the North and Midlands
The Department for Transport should commission a full independent assessment of the seat and track capacity offered by the IRP, compared to the previous plans for HS2 and other options for NPR. This assessment must take into account the future effects on both long-distance and local passenger services, and freight capacity.
Matched on
terms: capacity, rail
Committee recommendation
69match
#7 - Second Report - The Integrated Rail Plan for the North and Midlands
The Government’s levelling up agenda commits it to ending geographical inequality in the UK. However, by underserving the rail needs of the North of England it is letting down those who require change the most. Upgrading lines will undoubtedly bring modest benefits to rail services in the North and Midlands, but not to the 34 The Integrated Rail...
Matched on
terms: line, rail
Committee recommendation
69match
#3 - Second Report - The Integrated Rail Plan for the North and Midlands
Whilst we recognise that the Golborne link was not perfect, and faced substantial local opposition, given its importance in terms of unlocking capacity for passengers and freight, and reducing journey times to Scotland, we are concerned that it has been cancelled without an alternative being proposed. The Department for Transport should set out alternative plans which add similar...
Matched on
terms: capacity, rail
Committee recommendation
69match
#14 - Twenty-Fourth - Crossrail: A progress update
The Elizabeth line services will open in stages as different part of the line are completed. Services have been running on the eastern and western ends of the line (under the brand name ‘TfL Rail’) since June 2017 and May 2018, respectively.41 Crossrail Ltd expects the central tunnelled section to open between February and June 2022 and will...
Matched on
terms: line, rail
Committee recommendation
69match
#15 - Second Report - The Integrated Rail Plan for the North and Midlands
The Government should reconsider the case for the development of a new station in Bradford. The development of the St James’s Market station would not only enhance rail connectivity in the North, allowing further investment in the city, but also provide further opportunities for rail development in Bradford after the ‘core pipeline’ of IRP upgrades take place.
Matched on
terms: line, rail
Committee recommendation
69match
#14 - Second Report - The Integrated Rail Plan for the North and Midlands
We ask the Government to commit to supporting redevelopment of Leeds station by 2035 so that it has sufficient capacity to accommodate services planned under the IRP, including HS2 trains arriving in Leeds.
Matched on
terms: capacity, rail
Committee recommendation
69match
#10 - Pandemic exposed rail cost challenges and created conflicting priorities for financial framework.
The Department told us that the pandemic presented a fundamental challenge to sustainably funding the railways and that the financial pressures have driven a stronger focus to look at the whole system and improve performance, both financially and for passengers.21 The pandemic also exposed the scale of challenge on costs. Network Rail told us that, in previous years,...
Matched on
terms: line, rail
NAO recommendation
66match
HS2: update following cancellation of Phase 2
Outside of the programme, DfT should continue to assess HS2?s role in supporting the wider rail network to realise benefits and consider other options for improving capacity on the West Coast Main Line.
Matched on
terms: capacity, line, rail
Committee recommendation
65match
#25 - Second Report - The Integrated Rail Plan for the North and Midlands
The Department for Transport should publish a rail freight strategy for the country setting out key plans, targets and milestones over a 30-year period. This should include a detailed assessment of how the IRP will achieve greater capacity for and use of rail freight.
Matched on
terms: capacity, rail
Committee recommendation
64match
#15 - First Report - Railway Infrastructure in Wales
HS2 is one of the largest infrastructure projects ever undertaken in the UK. It is a project of unprecedented size and complexity and has already created several thousand jobs as part of a supply chain that spans the country, including Wales. However, as rail infrastructure is not devolved, beyond the core valleys lines, to the Welsh Government, Wales...
Matched on
terms: line, rail
PFD report
61match
William France
Railway crossing barriers malfunctioned due to a single-arm treddle, causing long delays. Drivers also faced obstructed visibility and a poorly located emergency telephone.
Matched on
terms: rail
Committee recommendation
61match
#16 - Second Report - The Integrated Rail Plan for the North and Midlands
Local stakeholders and the Government have very different views on the likely merit and cost of the underground station option at Manchester Piccadilly. There are considerable cost and practical challenges to delivering this solution, though we recognise the benefits of a through station and saving land for development. We have heard concerns that there has been a lack...
Matched on
terms: rail
Inquiry recommendation
60match
LADB-6 - Improve Railtrack procedures for implementing and monitoring accepted recommendations with clear accountability
Railtrack procedures, and the actions of management to enforce them, should be directed to ensuring that: (i) a recommendation which is accepted is implemented according to a defined timescale; (ii) the person to whom a recommendation is allocated for implementation is required to report periodically the action which has been taken, the state of progress and the reasons...
Matched on
terms: line, rail
Committee recommendation
60match
#26 - Second Report - The Integrated Rail Plan for the North and Midlands
Rail upgrades disrupt commuters, rail freight and timetabling. Disruption to existing services caused by upgrades to key rail lines may drive a modal shift from rail to car, which would work against the Government’s decarbonisation goals.
Matched on
terms: line, rail
Committee recommendation
60match
#19 - First Report - Railway Infrastructure in Wales
We are concerned that Covid-19 should not be used as a pretext for halting investment which, in the long term, would only further cement the car as the transport mode of choice in Wales. Instead this should be an opportunity for the Department for Transport, Welsh Government, Transport for Wales and Network Rail to take stock and consider...
Matched on
terms: capacity, rail
Committee recommendation
57match
#9 - Second Report - The Integrated Rail Plan for the North and Midlands
The potential of Bradford as an engine room of the Northern Powerhouse may be squandered if it is not given opportunities to thrive through better connectivity. Direct high speed connections would give the city access to a much broader pool of labour, as well as allowing other cities to benefit from the talent and potential of its own...
Matched on
terms: rail
Committee recommendation
57match
#8 - Second Report - The Integrated Rail Plan for the North and Midlands
The Government must remain open to the possibility that this thorough reassessment of the evidence base, taking full account of the impact on levelling up communities in the North and Midlands, may show that Options 2 or 3 for Northern Powerhouse Rail represent the best potential value. If so, they must grasp that nettle. Extra costs are not...
Matched on
terms: rail
Committee recommendation
57match
#14 - Inconsistent staff availability and inadequate rail infrastructure negatively impact diverse passenger groups.
We highlighted our concerns about the impact of the Department’s lack of progress in improving rail services and station infrastructure on various groups of people. For example, disabled passengers, as well as parents with young children, and even the many passengers and tourists carrying luggage who would like to use stations but are restricted, not just because of...
Matched on
terms: rail
Committee recommendation
57match
#8 - Rail sector performance remains inadequate, with unacceptable levels of train cancellations and delays.
The rail sector’s performance for passengers and the taxpayer is not good enough and has not been for some time.13 The Office of Rail and Road reported 3.8% of trains were classified as cancelled in 2022–23, along with 86.3% of trains arriving at their final destination on time, meaning that 13.7% were delayed. These levels of performance in...
Matched on
terms: rail
Committee recommendation
57match
#2 - Develop a passenger-focused plan and resolve disincentives for sustainable rail subsidies.
There has been too little focus on passengers and taxpayers and how to get them a better deal. The Department claims that improving passenger experience is at the heart of its reform plans, but poor performance persists across the rail network. In 2022–23, 13.7% of trains were delayed and 3.8% were cancelled. While the Department is fully aware...
Matched on
terms: rail
Committee recommendation
56match
#4 - First Report - Railway Infrastructure in Wales
The Union Connectivity Review represents a significant opportunity to establish priorities for rail infrastructure which will not only support economic development and decarbonisation in Wales, but improve the experience of those passengers for whom cross-border travel is simply local commuting. The UK Government was elected on the basis of a clear commitment to infrastructure investment and its response...
Matched on
terms: rail
Committee recommendation
56match
#7 - Twenty-Fourth - Crossrail: A progress update
Crossrail Ltd is constructing stations along the central section which are then handed over to the eventual infrastructure maintainer - Rail for London Infrastructure (RfLi) or London Underground. TfL told us that completing the stations is on the critical path to opening the central section to passengers.14 Crossrail Ltd told us that five of the nine central section...
Matched on
terms: rail
Committee recommendation
56match
#3 - Accelerate improvements to rail network accessibility for all passengers, including station facilities and train services.
It is unacceptable that so much of the rail network remains so difficult to access for so many people. The Department committed to improving access to the rail 6 Rail reform: The rail transformation programme network and other modes of transport as part of its 2018 inclusive transport strategy and has been running its Access for All programme...
Matched on
terms: rail
Committee recommendation
56match
#13 - Twenty-Fourth - Crossrail: A progress update
TfL told us that it is over-reliant on income through the farebox which accounts for 72% of TfL income. TfL compared this to New York City Transit which received 38% of its income from fares.37 It told us that COVID had caused revenues to collapse because ridership had collapsed. At the start of 2021, TfL’s long-term demand planning...
Matched on
terms: line, rail
Committee recommendation
53match
#1 - Second Report - The Integrated Rail Plan for the North and Midlands
We welcome the scale of the Government’s promised spending on improving rail in the North and the Midlands. £96 billion is a very substantial sum; it has the potential to transform rail travel for future generations and make a significant contribution to levelling up the country.
Matched on
terms: rail
Committee recommendation
52match
#8 - First Report - Railway Infrastructure in Wales
A number of witnesses to our inquiry suggested that a more joined-up and clearer approach to Wales’s infrastructure needs was required in order to unlock investment. We therefore recommend that the UK Government should establish a Wales Rail Board, consisting of itself, the Welsh Government, Network Rail, the rail operators providing services in Wales, and Transport for Wales....
Matched on
terms: rail
Committee recommendation
52match
#3 - First Report - Railway Infrastructure in Wales
A number of potential infrastructure upgrades suggested by witnesses to our inquiry are cross-border in nature, reflecting the relatively short distance between key urban areas such as Cardiff and Bristol in South Wales and Wrexham and Merseyside in the North East. The cross-border rail connections between England and Wales, and the level of socio-economic integration between border communities...
Matched on
terms: rail
Committee recommendation
52match
#2 - First Report - Railway Infrastructure in Wales
Improving transport infrastructure within Wales must be a priority and should focus on how infrastructure initiatives can remedy deprivation, boost the Welsh economy and contribute to meeting decarbonisation targets. Enhancements should include a focus on improving connectivity within Wales, such as more efficient rail links between North and South Wales, as well as between Wales and the rest...
Matched on
terms: rail
Committee recommendation
52match
#16 - Third Report - Fuelling the future: motive power and connectivity
Freight transport and high-speed rail are the most significant decarbonisation challenges in the rail sector. To meet its objective to phase out all diesel-powered trains by 2040, the Government must increase the current pace of electrification set out in Network Rail’s traction decarbonisation plan. The lifespan of rolling stock alone means that any rail projects currently being developed...
Matched on
terms: rail
Committee recommendation
52match
#18 - First Report - Railway Infrastructure in Wales
COVID-19 has posed an unprecedented challenge to the rail network and rail operators across the UK. Significant investment has been required from governments to keep services operational at a time when many workers have had to work from home as a consequence of the pandemic. The medium to longer term implications of the pandemic for work habits, namely...
Matched on
terms: rail
Committee recommendation
52match
#5 - First Report - Railway Infrastructure in Wales
The Williams-Shapps White Paper sets out comprehensive reform of the British rail network and makes a strong case for electrification as the main mechanism for decarbonising rail travel. The Government’s analysis and commitment to technological upgrades is welcome and the Wales Office must ensure that key routes in Wales are considered in this context.
Matched on
terms: rail
Inquiry recommendation
48match
LADB-66 - Establish system to collect human factors data on passenger safety after rail accidents
A system should be established for the collection of human factors information pertinent to issues of passenger safety following rail accidents (para 14.8).
Matched on
terms: rail
Inquiry recommendation
48match
LADB-62 - Extend Railway Safety Case Regulations to include emergency escape arrangements explicitly
The scope of Schedule 1 to the Railway (Safety Case) Regulations 2000 should be extended so as to include explicitly the arrangements which the duty holder has established in regard to facilities, instructions and signs for the escape of persons in an emergency (para 14.3).
Matched on
terms: rail
Inquiry recommendation
48match
LADB-8 - Railtrack to complete signal risk assessments for the Paddington area promptly.
Railtrack should ensure that the risk assessments and any consequent actions required under Group Standard GK/RT 0078 in respect of the signals in the Paddington area are carried out as soon as possible (para 7.125).
Matched on
terms: rail
Committee recommendation
48match
#12 - Second Report - The Integrated Rail Plan for the North and Midlands
The Government must conduct its study on how best to take HS2 to Leeds urgently. We ask that a timetable for this work, including a firm date for the final report, be published by September 2022. This is essential for demonstrating that the commitment made to Leeds for high speed connections will be fulfilled. (Paragraph 47) Stations and...
Matched on
terms: rail
Committee recommendation
48match
#11 - Second Report - The Integrated Rail Plan for the North and Midlands
We welcome the Government’s pledge to look at how the Eastern leg of HS2 might be constructed in full to Leeds as originally planned; the city is a key focal point not only of existing rail networks, but of economic value and potential in the North.
Matched on
terms: rail