Today marks 4 years, 4 months, 4 weeks and 4 days since the Department for Transport announced its future Rail Projects Enhancement Plan (RNEP). The original plan was to update this annually, but this has not happened.
In response to this milestone the Rail Industry Association is asking four questions:
- Which rail schemes are under business plan development?
- What business plan stage have the schemes progressed to?
- What funding has been approved?
- What are the potential timescales for delivery?
The new Procurement Act which is due to implemented in October 2024 provides for the publication of pipelines and contract notices. The Government’s own Construction Playbook from 2022 states that “One of the most important things we can do is to prepare, maintain and publish comprehensive pipelines of current and future government contracts and commercial activity.”
In February this year the Rail & HS2 Minister, Huw Merriman said he would “give a definitive view on the future of the RNEP in a very short timescale”.
Darren Caplan, RIA Chief Executive, said:
“Given the budget for the RNEP is roughly £10bn over five years, there should be a clear and visible plan for how this money will be spent.“
“It is concerning that four years, four months, four weeks and four days since the last announcement on RNEP projects, the pipeline remains unpublished.”
“Piecemeal announcements have been made on individual projects but there is no comprehensive view on future enhancement plans for the railway. The Government should set out which rail schemes within the RNEP, the new Network North proposals, and the Integrated Rail Plan for the North & Midlands, will go ahead. It should also make clear if it intends to change, scrap, or replace the RNEP process. Rail suppliers need clarity on which enhancement projects will proceed to deliver the best value to passengers, freight, and taxpayers in the long-term.”
Image Credit: iStock
