Greengauge 21 strongly welcomes Network Rail’s Long Term Planning Process as an important evolution from the Route Utilisation programme. This response has been prepared by Greengauge 21 based on the evidence and research it has carried out into high-speed rail (HSR) over the last seven years. We concur with the view that an examination of the key travel markets – including long distance travel – is a sound approach. We believe that the critical section in the document is section five where strategic goals are reviewed. In a number of ways, we believe that this work requires some further elaboration and that the effects of developing this work further would mean that the conditional outputs are likely to change.
We welcome the idea of considering a range of scenarios (in section six) to underpin demand prospects, but would suggest an alternative definition of the ‘second dimension’ used in the analysis, which would replace the ‘isolation – global’ axis with a contrast between policy intervention and free market policies, particularly as applied to matters of national spatial planning. This axis, we believe, is a good indicator of the likely pattern of development in Britain which will have a fundamental effect on the relative attractiveness of, and demand for, rail and other transport modes.
Download the full response here: Greengauge 21 Consultation Response to Network Rail LTPP long distance market study June 2013