How can rail win regional spending bonanza?

[squizzler]

Now that the government expressed desire to open the spending taps in the regions, particularly northern England, how can rail projects win over the alternative motoring and aviation related projects?

For those of us outside the region, it seems Northern Rail dominates infrastructure conversations. Passenger growth is exploding. Electrification cost lessons have been learnt and people are finally enjoying the benefits from the last tranche. Large scale Highways England projects are already seen as a bag of hurt, the success of XR can only make them harder still, and motorists are probably more concerned that local potholes get filled. The stars seem to have aligned in favour of rail.

Perhaps the biggest risk is complacency?

 

[option]

"Now that the government expressed desire to open the spending taps in the regions"
it wasn't the government, it was something said by a politician during an election campaign. They also come from a party that doesn't usually increase spending, & even though they have some new MPs that are possibly more centrist, the vast majority are still the 'cut spending, cut taxes' group.

"how can rail projects win over the alternative motoring and aviation related projects"
What alternative motoring & aviation projects?


If you think this new government are suddenly going to chuck money at schemes that are not under their control (ie those planned or to be delivered by TfL, WMCA, Greater Manchester, Liverpool, Nexus etc) or spend money on long-term projects in non-Tory voting areas (essentially anywhere urban) then you need to have a very good look at your thinking.

Rail projects cost too much, take too long, & aren't visible enough.
There will be some quick, cheap, easy baubles, eg a re-opened train station, but there wont be funds to improve the services on the line it's on.



https://www.theguardian.com/politic...-northerners-to-be-wary-of-glib-tory-promises
"Ian Levy, whose win in the Northumberland seat of Blyth Valley gave the first indication on election night that the “red wall” was crumbling, wants the return of passenger rail services to the constituency."

That's been worked on for years
http://www.senrug.co.uk/Re-open-AshingtonBlythTyneLine.php
It needs new signalling, new stations, rolling stock, staff etc etc. Even if they said yes to it in the new year, it's 2-3 years away, at the quickest, to get it done. Then there's the question of who would operate it, as it would likely need a subsidy.

 

[Meerkat]

Ideally the projects would take almost five years.
Lots of PR when announced then Boris cutting the ribbon just before the next election........

 

[squizzler]

Ideally the projects would take almost five years.
Lots of PR when announced then Boris cutting the ribbon just before the next election........

there are lots of ribbon cutting opportunities in set pipeline already.
And who says that the ribbon you cut has to be that of the project you announce anyway? If you announce a large costly infrastructure project and cut a ribbon on a rail project shortly afterwards, the optics are probably not worse for it being a previous party that authorised the latter. Some politicians use the ribbon cutting ceremony of a successful project to announce new spending commitments; thereby being seen to back a winner.