26.10.17
Rail industry investment greater priority than housing for British public
British people think investment in rail is more important to the country than housing, according to a new report.
A survey of 1,004 people aged between 16-65 showed that 46% of people felt rail investment should be prioritised compared to 43% who chose housing.
Figures have risen slightly since 2016 when 44% of people pointed to the railways as a priority. However, the fraction of people who felt the housing supply was most significant has reduced by 5%.
The Global Infrastructure Index, from Ipsos MORI, compared British people’s opinions on a variety of issues against 28 other countries.
It found that rail infrastructure in Britain is given much higher priority than in other G8 countries, despite value for money ratings being lower than the global average.
Ipsos also found that rail use in Britain was higher than the global norms but ratings for the quality of current infrastructure were lower.
In addition, only 23% of people in the country agreed to the statement “my local area gets its fair share of investment in infrastructure.”
Ben Marshall, research director for infrastructure at Ipsos, explained the findings: “The British still think investment in infrastructure is vital to future economic growth and there remains a sense that we are not doing enough to meet needs.
“The survey does show an uptick in the salience of rail infrastructure,” he continued. “This is likely to reflect British reliance on rail – we’re more dependent on rail to get around than many other countries – and also inferior ratings here of the current quality of tracks and stations compared to elsewhere, including Germany, the US, France and Japan.”
The news follows the recent announcement by transport secretary Chris Grayling of £48bn funding to the industry over CP6 – split between £35bn in cash grants and the rest coming through NR’s commercial revenue.
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