Lords debates failings of the transport system

Debate

Lord Snape (Labour), former member of the High Speed Rail (West Midlands - Crewe) Bill Select Committee, put forward the debate.

This was a general debate. During debates, members put their experience to good use to discuss current issues and draw the government's attention to concerns.      

Members speaking

Contributing members included:

• Lord Faulkner of Worcester (Labour), chair of the Great Western Railway advisory board
• Lord Fowler (Crossbench), former Secretary of State for Transport
• Lord McLoughlin (Conservative), chair of Transport for the North and Airlines UK
• Baroness Randerson (Liberal Democrat), former shadow minister for transport, National Assembly for Wales.

Opening the debate, Lord Snape said:

'Investment in our road, railway and transport system brings a return far in excess of the initial cost, in most cases, but, short-termism being the curse of Britain over the years, the fact is that many of the projects that need to be completed are put aside.'

Lord Davies of Gower (Conservative), Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department for Transport, responded on behalf of the government:

'We are acutely aware of the need to bring the railways into the 21st century. Vital to this is our ongoing work to upgrade the existing rail network, to improve rail operators’ performance and to make the railways more accessible to all.'

Catch up

• Watch the Parliament TV recording.
• Read the Lords Hansard transcript.

Explore background information  

• Find out more about the issues the debate covers in the House of Lords Library briefing. 
• Learn more about how the House of Lords checks and challenges government.

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