Team Transport – making the case for integrated transport together
Arguing one transport mode over another weakens the message and we should work together to deliver a decarbonised and integrated transport system says Darren Caplan, Chief Executive of the Railway Industry Association
As I write, newish Chancellor Jeremy Hunt is likely scouring Government departments for spending cuts ahead of his rescheduled financial statement, moved from next week to Thursday, 17 November.
We in the world of transport need to make the case to the Chancellor and his Treasury officials that transport in the UK supports millions of jobs, generates billions of pounds of Gross Value Added, and secures for the Treasury billions of pounds of tax revenues.
What is more, for every pound spent on rail, roads, aviation and shipping, many more pounds in catalytic investment is generated elsewhere in other industrial sectors. Transport is not just an enabler of connectivity, it is crucial for the UK economy.
Transport also of course supports the objectives of connecting the UK’s cities, towns and communities; connecting the UK to other countries; levelling up; and decarbonisation and helping to deliver Net Zero.
Encouragingly, the future for transport is positive. Freight bounced back post-pandemic fairly quickly; and passengers are now returning to the respective transport modes too.
Despite wars, economic and financial crises, and, yes, pandemics, history shows that transport passenger numbers always return to longer-term growth trends. We should eschew the arguments that because of Teams and Zoom technology, and the fact that there is some increased home working, suddenly the whole model of transport should change.
To make the case for continued investment and policy support, transport experts and lobbyists need to take a ‘one team’ approach
We’re still going to need more capacity on our rail and road network, and at our airports and ports, in the years to come – this is not the time for the Treasury and the Department for Transport (DfT) to take their foot off the pedal of investment and policy support.
In the transport mode I work in, rail, passenger levels have regularly recorded 85-95% of pre-Covid levels this year, baselined against 2019-20, which was the second highest year ever on record. Rail revenues are 85%, nudging 90% – a strong base to build from.
To make the case for continued investment and policy support, transport experts and lobbyists need to take a ‘one team’ approach. We should commit to not arguing for Government policy to be deleterious to transport modes other than our own – otherwise we simply encourage comeback and our combined message is weakened.
When it comes to Government policy, the DfT will in any case always seek to ensure each transport mode gets prizes.
Integrated transport is a virtuous circle
Rather, we should stand together, making the case for integrated transport wherever we can, acknowledging that most journeys for most people require more than one form of transport. When the user figures for one transport mode go up, this results in figures in linked transport modes increasing too.
As someone who used to work in aviation, I’m aware that airports which have good surface access to rail and road get more passengers, and rail and roads linked to growing airports get more users too. Integrated transport is a virtuous circle.
I also know from speaking with colleagues in other modes that each of them work hard to decarbonise. It is obvious that the more successful a transport mode is, the more revenue it gets which it can then invest in decarbonisation (and we in different modes can also learn from each other and work together to find the best solutions).
Our combined mantra should be that “the enemy is carbon, not transport”; and in a world one day where all travel may be decarbonised – or close to it – we should support the mantra of individual choice, as passenger and freight customers are free to choose their preferred transport mode (in the case of passengers, assisted by Mobility As A Service).
In the coming months, and in the run up to its conference in Birmingham on 18/19 April, Interchange will be looking at a whole host of issues related to integrated and intelligent transport.
I urge the various transport modes involved with Interchange to use this opportunity to consider how we can work together as Team Transport, to deliver on a long-term agenda which secures public investment and private funding support, and which works in a united way to deliver a decarbonised, integrated transport system where we all – rail, road, aviation and shipping – can work and grow together.
The Railway Industry Association will be discussing these issues at its Annual Conference & Dinner on 10-11 November at the Park Plaza London Riverbank. Speakers include Transport Minister Kevin Foster MP and Shadow Minister Tan Dhesi MP. For more details, see here.
There is a special offer for Interchange readers, who can attend the RIA Conference & Dinner at RIA member rates. If you are interested, please contact RIA’s Marketing & Events Manager Grace Smithen, at grace.smithen@riagb.org.uk / events@riagb.org.uk and 020 7201 0777, and mention ‘Interchange’ to book your members’ rate ticket. We hope you can make it.