Inquiry on priorities in railway investment continues
25 November 2009 (updated on 22 April 2010)
The Commons Transport Committee is hearing evidence from various rail freight groups and Chris Mole, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Transport, as part of its continuing inquiry into priorities for investment in the railways. Watch live from 2.45 pm
The witnesses are:
2.45pm
- Rail Freight Group
- DB Schenker Rail (UK) Ltd
- Freight Transport Association
3.15pm
- Chris Mole MP, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Transport
The Committee is examining:
- what should be the main objectives for investment in the railways, in order to improve both freight and passenger services?
- how should these objectives be determined?
- what is the impact of rail enhancements on the economy?
- how should long-term development of major new infrastructure, such as high speed lines, be balanced against short and medium term investment to improve capacity and passenger experiences?
- is enough consideration given to the integration of rail with other transport modes, and with demographic developments, such as new housing developments, when rail investment decisions are made?
- is enough consideration being given to the views of passengers in making investment decisions on the railways?
- what should be the key priorities for the next High Level Output Statement?
- is the current investment programme sufficient for the needs of the UK economy and for passengers themselves?
- in light of the current economic crisis is it still important that projects designed to increase capacity continue on the present timescale?