皇冠体育app

Introductory remarks

Thank you for that introduction Julie (Julie Hilling - Chair of APPG). And many thanks for asking me along today.

皇冠体育app reputation of this group and its members as rail champions for the north really does go before you, so I鈥檓 genuinely delighted to be here.

I鈥檇 like to kick things off with a promise - always a hostage to fortune for a politician I know.

But anyway, here it is.

I know you all have packed diaries and busy schedules - so I promise to try and keep my speech short.

I was going to say keep it 鈥渂rief鈥�.

But, since becoming a minister, I鈥檝e discovered that Whitehall is the only place on earth where, without a trace of irony, the term 鈥渂rief鈥� is used to describe a 10,000 word document.

Modern enough, connected enough, fast enough

Now, I have a pretty straightforward view about Britain鈥檚 rail network, and it鈥檚 this - out-dated and over-burdened railways just won鈥檛 cut it in today鈥檚 global economy.

皇冠体育appy cost hard working families and hard pressed businesses time and money. And, in these testing economic times, you can be sure they are anything but an engine for powering up the recovery.

皇冠体育appy don鈥檛 do our environment too many favours either.

Let鈥檚 be honest, relying on creaking and crumbling rail infrastructure is no way to shrink transport鈥檚 carbon footprint.

So, it doesn鈥檛 matter if it鈥檚 a regional link or a national network - Britain needs railways that are modern enough, connected enough and fast enough:

• modern enough to support economic growth and spur job creation
• connected enough to spread prosperity and open up life-changing chances for people
• and fast enough to attract passengers and freight away from less eco-friendly alternatives like long-distance road travel and short-haul flying

Rolling up our sleeves

I am absolutely convinced that a good rail system can do great things - socially, economically and environmentally.

But, as we all know, the good and the great don鈥檛 come about simply because politicians are very keen on them.

No, you only get concrete results by rolling up your sleeves and getting on with it. And that鈥檚 precisely what this government鈥檚 been doing on rail:

• 拢18 billion invested in our railways during this spending review period
• a massively ambitious programme of rail modernisation
• and a range of groundbreaking reforms鈥�. 鈥�from driving down costs and driving up efficiencies to devolving decision-making

Indeed, on the second of those reforms, devolution, I know that there was a big response from people and organisations in the north to our rail decentralisation consultation鈥�so I want to thank everyone who took the trouble to have their say.

No community left out, no region left behind.

This is a government that believes in top quality railways.

And that belief is underpinned by a rock-solid principle. Namely that no community should be left out, no region should be left behind.

As far as I鈥檓 concerned, if we want all of Britain to be open for business then we can鈥檛 afford for any part of Britain to be isolated or disconnected from the country鈥檚 wider transport system.

Local, and actually national success, demands that north, south, east and west are plugged in and joined up.

Transforming the performance and prospects of rail in the north

This is the very reason that transforming the performance and the prospects of rail in the north is a first order priority for the government.

Now, when it comes to one particular component of rail services in the north, I鈥檒l admit that the DfT hasn鈥檛 enjoyed its best media coverage lately. I鈥檓 of course talking about the west coast mainline bid.

And I don鈥檛 for one minute seek to carp or complain about that coverage.

Serious matters tend to generate serious headlines.

皇冠体育appy also demand a serious response鈥�which is why we are facing up to what went wrong and putting things right.

None-the less, I genuinely hope that none of the recent coverage obscures the bigger, and more positive, picture about what鈥檚 happening to rail in the north.

Take our recent approval of a 拢4.5 billion contract to build a new generation of intercity trains at a purpose-built factory in County Durham.

This means that passengers will be speeding along the tracks onboard new high-tech, high-spec trains.

But there鈥檚 also a welcome employment bonus, with the creation of 730 skilled jobs, as well as another 200 jobs during construction.

And let鈥檚 not forget our HLOS announcement - a 拢9.4 billion investment programme that will uplift rail capacity and improve rail connections right across the north.

I鈥檓 also pleased to say that work is well underway on the north-west electrification scheme鈥�.improving travel between Manchester and Liverpool.

But we鈥檙e not stopping there.

Because we also intend building a brand new electric passenger and freight corridor - a rail spine linking the towns, cities and economies of the north, with the towns, cities and economies of the Midlands and south of England such as Sheffield, Nottingham, Reading and Southampton.

皇冠体育app electric trains that run on these lines will be cleaner and cheaper to run than diesels.

皇冠体育appy鈥檒l have better acceleration and shift greater loads.

And they鈥檒l carry more passengers with fewer delays.

In plain English our investment is good for passengers, good for business and good for the environment.

I can also tell you that funding worth some 拢240 million will mean that rail users in the North enjoy more seats, quicker journeys and better services on the East Coast Main Line.

And of course, the communities and companies of the region are set to be big winners from the backing the government is giving to the northern hub.
And let me say this - the Northern Hub is about the transforming the rail experience across the whole North, from Newcastle in the north-east to Liverpool in the north-west.

Now, in terms of travel benefits this is a genuine landmark enterprise.

But there鈥檚 even better news

And that鈥檚 because Network Rail estimate the northern hub will also bring over 拢4 billion worth of wider economic benefits to the region and potentially as many twenty to thirty thousand new jobs.

If you鈥檒l forgive the unintended pun, looking down the track there is another game-changing rail modernisation heading towards the North - HS2.

This national high speed rail network will slash journey times and deliver a step change in capacity on routes between Leeds, Sheffield, Birmingham, London and Manchester - and possibly to Edinburgh and Glasgow.

Firms in the north will be able to use HS2 to exploit new markets and attract new investment.

While the region鈥檚 communities will have better access to jobs and essential services.

HS2 is a core component of the government鈥檚 long-term transport strategy.

And so, for the sake of every region, it鈥檚 a project we鈥檙e determined to push across the finishing line.

Concluding remarks

Okay, I think it鈥檚 time I kept the promise I made right at the start of this speech by winding up my remarks.

And let鈥檚 be frank, nobody ever complained that a politician鈥檚鈥� speech was too short.

So, if I may, I鈥檇 like to finish with a quote by one of America鈥檚 founding fathers, Benjamin Franklin.

Now I grant you that鈥檚 a less than orthodox way to end a rail speech.

But, for me, this quote sums up our approach to rail modernisation.

Back in the 18th century Ben Franklin argued that, when it came to governing, 鈥渨ell done is better than well said.鈥�

If you ask me, that鈥檚 a yardstick which still stands the test of time.

But I鈥檓 equally sure that, judged against it, the way this government is renewing, rebuilding and reforming our railways proves that, just like the great man said - actions really do speak louder than words.

Thank you.

This speech represented existing departmental policy but the words may not have been the same as those used by the minister.