Transport Insights

Heidi Alexander’s speech to the Labour conference yesterday included an interesting new policy on rail, an old policy on rail, and a few opportunities to read between the lines in other areas.

Of course, her department stepped in with two public announcements to back her up.

The new and interesting policy is the pledge to explore “buying trains over leasing”, as the Department for Transport (DfT) put it, as it published a Great British Railways’ (GBR) rolling stock and infrastructure strategy.

As Alexander put it:

In 2024, franchised train operators spent over £4 billion leasing and maintaining trains they didn’t own. £4 billion. That around a third of the total day-to-day running cost of operating railway services Every ROSCO contract includes financing and transaction costs and investment returns – costs which are ultimately borne by taxpayers and passengers.

So, as we set up Great British Railways, we will explore whether the state can directly own the new trains we order. Because, I say again, Conference, who should the railways serve? If GBR owning trains would best serve taxpayers and passengers then we should do it.

Many people would agree with this – and that with ROSCOs owning the trains, what is being delivered so far is not true nationalisation.

That didn’t stop the DfT saying that the transport secretary will

nationalise Avanti West Coast services at first opportunity

which isn’t really news as it is happening at the time that it should happen under Labour’s manifesto.

On Heathrow expansion, Alexander’s speech was notable for what it didn’t do – give a full-throated commitment:

Expansion approved or underway at City Airport, Luton, Leeds Bradford, Newcastle and Gatwick and consulting on plans at Heathrow

This is very much in line with what Andy Burnham has said. The Guardian reported yesterday that

Plans for a third runway at Heathrow are once again up in the air after the prime minister refused to say whether he backs the “contested” project

But isn’t Burnham’s position – not to “jump straight in” before considering the results of the public consultation – exactly what ministers should be saying, instead of pretending to consult while being wholly gung-ho about the outcome?

There are lots of different takes on the story in various papers but the Times gets the prize for the most mindless, macho approach:

The prime minister needs to demonstrate his commitment to growth by backing the expansion of Britain’s most important airport

This is one of those childish claims that tends to box ministers in on issues like aviation expansion and road building – you have to do it do demonstrate your commitment to growth.

On the subject of commitment, Alexander’s speech included a reference to West Yorkshire Mass Transit that is wholly untrue:

Tracy Brabin said West Yorkshire needed a mass transit system – we put her in the driving seat.

The opposite happened. The government commissioned NISTA to produce a report that – possibly for good reasons – forced Brabin to delay mass transit by several years and is still insisting that she proves why it should be a tram and not a bus.

Note here that reference to trams is conspicuous by its absence from what Alexander said.

Should Brabin be worried?

Footnote: Labour didn’t think Alexander’s speech important enough to publish a press release or photo so I used one from her Instagram of her practising the day before.