Tag: Paul Maynard

Below is the text of the speech made by Paul Maynard, the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Rail, at the North of England Transport Summit at the Royal Armouries on 30 November 2017.

Introduction

I’m really pleased to have been asked to deliver the closing address at today’s conference.

And what a choice of venue.

I hope there is no deliberate symbolism in asking a Westminster politician to talk to a northern audience about investment in the north in a building devoted to medieval warfare, hunting and instruments of torture.

Before anyone gets any ideas, let me make absolutely that clear I am a northerner as well – both in terms of where I grew up and who I represent in parliament.

And very glad I am too that these days we decide which regions get what resources through sensible means, such as consultation exercises, elections and civil dialogue.

Investment debate

Even so, the truth is that anyone who follows the debate about transport investment in the north might have got the impression that, of late, things have become somewhat gladiatorial.

Well, my view is that that, in itself, is no bad thing.

In fact, one of the reasons that the government pushed hard for metro mayors, and for the creation of sub-national transport bodies like TfN, and why we’re making good progress on giving statutory status to TfN, is because we want regions across the UK to speak with a more powerful voice.

So if we’re hearing free and frank debate, including at conferences like this one, something’s going right.

Our record

But no one should mistake that debate for a divergence from our shared goals – that of building a transport-fuelled Northern Powerhouse.

Or still more serious a mistake – that the government is somehow washing its hands of transport in the north.

Because speaking as a northern MP who now has a seat in government, it’s incredibly exciting to have a hand in delivering the things I called for when I was a backbencher.

When I took up the rail brief 17 months ago, there was already good progress underway.

In 2014, 15 minutes had been knocked off the journey between Liverpool and Manchester by upgrading the track.

In 2015, electrification of the route between Liverpool and Wigan was completed, securing quicker, more reliable journeys.

We upgraded Manchester Victoria, and built new stations at Kirkstall Forge and Apperley Bridge.

In 2016, we awarded new Northern and TransPennine Express rail franchises, which will deliver new trains, 500 new carriages, over 2,000 extra services, and room for 40,000 more passengers per week.

These new franchises mean that, by 2020, rail travel in the north will have been transformed.

All the trains will be brand new or completely refurbished, and all the Pacer trains will be gone.

Also in 2016, we committed £60 million for TfN to develop plans for Northern Powerhouse Rail.

And this year, we opened the Ordsall Chord, connecting Manchester’s three main railway stations for the first time; all part of the Great North Rail Project, on which we are spending over a billion pounds to deliver better services across the north, with more seats and faster journeys.

Still to come

And there are many more important rail projects underway right now.

The upgrade of Liverpool Lime Street station.

The extra services between Blackburn and Manchester, Bishop Auckland and Darlington – starting next month.

Next year, upgrades between Manchester and Blackpool via Bolton and Preston will be complete.

Followed by a new fleet of Azuma Class 800 trains on the East Coast Main Line.

And we’re working with Network Rail and Rail North on options for upgrades between Manchester, Leeds and York to deliver more seats and faster journeys.

I could go on – but I think the point is clear.

That’s the to-do list of a government taking very seriously its responsibilities towards northern transport.

And I haven’t even mentioned the billions we are spending on northern roads.

Recent announcements

Now, I hope these projects will be familiar to most people in the room.

But I’d also like to touch on some recent announcements that might be less familiar.

Such as the Rail Strategy we announced yesterday.

The HS2 productivity report also out today.

The Transforming Cities Fund, announced in last week’s budget.

And the new Nexus rolling stock announcement for Newcastle, Gateshead and Sunderland.

Rail strategy

Let me take the rail strategy first.

It’s a story that begins with privatisation, over 20 years ago.

On all the measures that matter most, privatisation has succeeded.

We have one of the most improved railways in Europe, and the safest.

Passenger numbers have more than doubled.

In the north, too, whether one is looking at journeys within the different regions of the north, or to and from the north and elsewhere in the country, passenger numbers are all significantly up over the last 20 years.

Today, for instance, TransPennine Express is one of the country’s fastest growing operators.

But just because something has worked, doesn’t mean it can’t be improved.

I understand why the railways were privatised in the way they were, with the trains and the tracks split into separate companies.

But the railway of the mid-1990s is very different from that of today.

And delivering the kind of improvements I’ve been talking about on a working railway is tough.

Doing so across different teams with complicated contracting arrangements is even tougher.

And when things go wrong, a lack of a joined up approach can make things much worse for passengers.

Solutions can take too long.

Communication with passengers is poor.

Train companies take the blame for the failings of Network Rail.

And Network Rail as an infrastructure company has not always been incentivised to focus on the best possible customer service.

So last year we announced that we would start bringing back together the operation of track and train on our railways.

And today I am very pleased to announce that, as part of our reforms, the first line on which track and train operations will be jointly run will be the East Coast Main Line, connecting London, Yorkshire, the north east and Scotland.

From 2020, we’re going to introduce a new generation of long-term partnerships between the public sector and a private partner.

Both track and train will be operated by a single management, under a single brand and overseen by a single leader.

It will mean a better railway, better able to meet today’s challenges.

Whether it’s planning essential repairs, putting in place improvements that can squeeze in an extra service to meet demand, or responding quickly to a problem on the network – the line should be much better run by one team of people working together.

HS2

Let me move on to talk about HS2.

Today we’re publishing a report written following discussions with 100 employers, local authorities and universities across the country.

It sets out how HS2 will improve northern productivity by raising regional growth, leading to a wider range of jobs and careers, which in turn will make it more attractive for graduates to stay in the north – among many other benefits.

But one thing that is very clear is that both central government and local public bodies of all kinds need to work together and plan ahead for HS2 if we are to maximise its benefits – whether to housing, education, local businesses or anything else.

HS2 is coming.

It’s going to transform travel in our country and in the north.

And local areas need to get HS2-ready.

Nexus trains

That’s some of what we’ve announced today and yesterday.

But there were also some big announcements for the north in the budget last week.

Foremost among which is our commitment to spend £337 million replacing the 40-year-old trains on the Tyne and Wear Metro.

The Metro was Britain’s first light rapid transit system and first step-free railway.

Today it remains the second largest metro system in the country.

But its trains are showing their age.

So Tyne and Wear is going to have a new fleet, with the first deliveries coming in 2021 – creating a state of the art Metro once again.

Transforming Cities Fund

The other big announcement in the budget was the government’s new Transforming Cities Fund.

And it’s an idea inspired by this city.

Leeds has long had ambitions to improve transport across the city – ambitions the government shares.

So when a proposed a trolleybus scheme didn’t get the approval it needed last year, we pledged to put £173 million into an alternative.

First Group and local leaders since raised an extra £100 million on top.

Now Leeds is getting:

– new buses

– new park and ride sites

– real-time information for passengers

– and accessibility improvements

The aim is to double bus patronage in Leeds within 10 years.

And what’s worked in Leeds can work elsewhere, so last week the Chancellor unveiled our new £1.7 billion Transforming Cities Fund.

Half to be shared by the 6 areas with elected metro mayors.

With other cities in England to bid for the remainder.

Liverpool City Region will get £134 million.

And Greater Manchester £243 million.

Just like in Leeds, we want the money to drive productivity and spread prosperity, by improving local transport links and making it easier for people to get around and access jobs.

And we want changes that benefit every citizen, especially those struggling at the margins.

It will be up to cities to tell us what improvements they want, but we want truly transformational changes.

Conclusion

So I hope those remarks are sufficient to suggest that the government hasn’t quite given up on the north just yet.

In fact, we’re only just getting going.

But suffice it to say, for now, that in coming months and years, we are going to be working with the north and for the north.

There’ll be plenty of debate and discussion on the way.

But during my time in the job, I’ll be focused on deeds.

On delivery.

That’s how we’ll all be judged in the future.

On what we, working together, do for the north.

Thank you for your time.

Below is the text of the speech made by Paul Maynard, the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Rail, Accessibility and HS2, on 15 November 2017.

Introduction

I welcome the publication of these three pieces of important research today. I am grateful to the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) for carrying them out.

And I am grateful to those in the rail industry who assisted in the research.

Many of whom are here today.

I take that as a sign of your commitment to learn from this research and to take action where it’s needed.

Because it is through research of this kind that we gain the hard evidence we need to improve services for passengers.

We learn what is being done well.

For instance, we learn how much of a difference can be made by helpful, caring, considerate staff.

And it’s right that we recognise those members of rail staff who not only fulfil their formal obligations to disabled passengers, but do so with a smile, with kindness, while allowing passengers to sense that their custom is valued.

And I know that later you’ll be hearing some case studies of good service provided by Network Rail, Virgin Trains East Coast, and the work of the Disabled Persons Transport Advisory Committee.

But we also learn from research of this kind what is not being done so well.

And in this research we do learn rather a lot.

And, again, it’s right that we recognise what’s not working – and the need to improve.

So I’d like to spend a little more time discussing these areas.

Awareness of support

For me one of the most striking features of the research is that today disabled passengers are not sufficiently aware of their rights to access help.

In fact, over 71% of those eligible to use passenger assist don’t know anything about the scheme.

Of those who did know about their right to help, most learned through word of mouth.

Either from helpful rail staff, or from friends and family.

That’s not a bad thing in itself.

But word of mouth isn’t enough.

After all, if you don’t know about help available in the first place, how can you tell others?

Greater awareness must come from better communication by train operating companies themselves.

Reliability of service

The next striking finding of the research is that customer satisfaction is most commonly linked with 3 elements.

The first is whether passengers actually receive the help they request.

Now, I understand that things can go wrong.

But if there’s one thing train companies need to be good at, it’s getting people to the right place at the right time.

But at the moment, most of the explanations put forward by passengers for assistance failures include:

– staff not arriving to meet them at agreed points

– staff being late

– trains not arriving on time, so staff or equipment to help with alighting are not available as they should be

– or stations at either end not being aware of their journey.

These should be easy things to fix.

Getting people to the right place at the right time, and communicating information down the line; this is the bread and butter of any rail company.

But for a variety of reasons, disabled people aren’t getting the service they are owed.

Staff attitude

Then there’s the second big concern of passengers – the attitude of staff.

I’ve already said what a positive difference caring, considerate staff can make.

And the overwhelming majority of staff on the railway are exactly that – often going above and beyond the call of duty to deliver a quality service to vulnerable passengers.

But it is equally true that it can only take one disappointing interaction to rob someone of their confidence in using the transport network.

Passengers have talked about being made to feel an inconvenience.

When a disabled passenger turns up at the station, they are maybe asked “have you booked?” – in what can seem like accusing tones.

Staff may be unable to spot or react properly to hidden disabilities, such as learning difficulties.

Or they may seem sceptical whether help is really needed.

Yet as the prevalence of hidden conditions such as dementia increases in our society, the ability of the railway to respond properly must increase accordingly.

Again, this shouldn’t be too difficult to remedy.

A lot of it is about good and thorough staff training.

Of the kind that should elementary for anyone working in a customer-facing role today.

In my own constituency, I’ve seen the superb work done by Jane Cole of Blackpool Transport to improve the understanding of bus drivers of the needs of disabled passengers; work informed by Jane’s previous role in setting up Virgin’s original passenger assist programme.

Jane is now the government’s Champion for Accessible Transport working with the Disabilities Minister, and I hope we can tap into her undoubted expertise.

Facilities

The third major influencing factor – after whether requested help is received, and staff attitudes – is whether facilities are up to scratch.

General accessibility, toilets, lighting, seating, lifts and everything else.

Now I recognise that, of the 3, in some circumstances this can be the most challenging to get right.

That’s one legacy of operating the oldest rail network in the world.

Built to Victorian standards.

And I am glad that Network Rail and others have worked hard to find creative ways to fit accessible solutions within historic architecture.

But while getting it right may be challenging, it’s still essential.

We need to do more to ensure more toilets on board trains are in service more of the time.

But where they are out of order, we need to fix them, and do it fast.

And until they’re fixed, inform passengers in sufficient time before they board.

No one should suffer being caught short while trapped on a train.

Just as no one with vision or spatial awareness challenges should find themselves on a dark platform, illuminated only by a flickering light.

I could go on, but you don’t need me to spell out all the possible scenarios in which things can go wrong.

The research is already quite clear on what the issues are, and what needs to be done about them.

Need for enforcement

And all of the above explains why enforcement of these duties is so important, and why the ORR has such an important role to play.

Not only is it the railway’s economic regulator, but it is also the passenger’s champion when it comes to the handling of complaints, the provision of information during disruption and the provision of services to disabled passengers.

These duties are not in conflict, but rather are complementary.

At the same time, each duty requires a very different mind-set.

I know the ORR has always fought to make sure operators do the right thing for passengers – including holding train operating companies to account for their finances.

And I strongly believe there is no-one better positioned to influence operators, to re-balance the railway in favour of the passenger.

In this role, I see ORR having a visible presence, upholding the legitimate expectations of the fare-paying passenger.

ORR cannot do this alone.

It needs to bring the industry with them on the journey towards higher standards.

But just as justice delayed is justice denied, so is justice in the shadows justice denied.

My inbox and postbag overflows with complaints from those who have not received the level of service they are entitled to when seeking passenger assistance on the railway.

People need to see the strong hand of the ORR guiding these improvements.

ORR holds many enforcement powers that it could be using right now to deliver justice.

As the ORR builds up its evidence base, and negotiates improvements by consensus, I would like to see them wielding these powers.

To become an earnest advocate for passengers who need them the most.

To think creatively about how its consumer-facing role requires an outward-facing advocacy on behalf of disabled passengers.

To seize the opportunity presented by the impending arrival of the Passenger Ombudsman to complement that work by ensuring that the consumer duties it has are explored to their fullest extent.

And by challenging the industry at each and every opportunity.

So as a next step, I would welcome the thoughts of the ORR on how it intends to respond to complaints about levels of accessibility on the railway.

Whether through published league tables, through examples of bad and good practice, or through naming and shaming the very worst.

With creativity, I know that the ORR can truly make a difference.

Conclusions

So, thank you again for this vital work.

It gives us the evidence and the information we need to make things better.

It give us a new opportunity.

So let us be the ones who seize that opportunity.

And make travelling better for everyone.

Thank you.

Below is the text of the speech made by Paul Maynard, the Rail Minister, at the Railway Industry Association conference on 20 October 2017.

Introduction

Thank you, David Begg

It is a pleasure to speak this morning. And it is a particular pleasure to see our country’s great rail supply chain so well represented.

A time of challenge and opportunity

Now, if I was to try and summarise what the government’s rail policies mean for the rail supply chain I would say that this is a time of opportunity.

But also a time of challenge.

It is a time of opportunity because of the way the numbers of those using our railways have grown.

In almost 25 years since privatisation, customer numbers have more than doubled.

While rail freight has grown by 75%.

More people are using our railways than in any year since the 1920s.

And we’re responding to that record demand with record investment.

Last week we announced the next round of rail funding.

Between 2019 and 2024, we’ll spend around £48 billion to improve and maintain the network.

That maintenance is important.

We’ve increased the focus on renewals, to provide passengers with better reliability and punctuality

And this funding comes on top of record rail funding over the past 5 years as the government delivered the biggest rail modernisation programme for over a century.

But it’s not just the money we’re delivering.

Last week we announced that there will also be a new funding process for major upgrades and enhancements which will provide more rigour in investment decisions to make sure public spending best meets the needs of passengers and freight.

This is recognition of the vital importance of working closely with the industry and the rail supply chain.

All this investment is an opportunity to restore Britain’s place in the world as a leading rail-building nation.

And an opportunity to deliver a railway fit for the future.

Time of challenge

But as well as being a time of opportunity, we must also recognise that this is a time of challenge, too.

And that’s because we’re attempting work of a complexity and scale unseen in a century.

And as a result, our railway is changing.

We are building new stations and refurbishing old ones.

We’re getting Crossrail ready to open.

And we are bringing thousands of new train carriages into service.

And on top of all that, we’ve begun the groundwork for building HS2.

A year ago, the HS2 Bill for Phase One – the stretch from Birmingham to London – was a concept that had yet to be approved by parliament.

The route for much of the second phase of HS2 – from Crewe to Manchester and Birmingham to Leeds – had yet to be announced.

The procurement for the main engineering works, the rolling stock, and the franchise for operating the railway – all had yet to be triggered.

A year ago, HS2 was still in planning.

A distinct, stand-alone project.

But things have moved on.

Those plans are now being implemented.

On sites up and down the route, the enabling works are underway.

We have awarded the engineering contracts.

We’ve launched the competition to design, build and maintain HS2’s trains.

We’ve begun the utility diversions, land clearance and environmental surveys.

We have announced our route for sections from Crewe to Manchester and Birmingham to Leeds.

By the end of this year, we’ll deposit the bill for the stretch of track beyond Birmingham and on to Crewe.

And I have added the HS2 project to my responsibility for the rail industry.

So we’re seeing the start of the integration of HS2 into the existing network.

And that’s an important development for the whole industry.

It’s time to start thinking of HS2 not as a railway apart.

Or as some kind of better, faster alternative to the classic rail network.

But rather as an expansion and enhancement of the existing network.

The greatest for a hundred years.

And that, naturally, has implications.

HS2 will inject greater competition into this industry.

It will give greater options for how we use the existing railway, providing more space for freight and local stopping trains.

And it will enhance the image of rail in this country.

None of this progress could have been achieved without our rail supply chain – many of whom are here this morning.

And it’s because of this supply chain that we have the confidence to press ahead with plans such as HS2.

But you will know, as I do, that we can and must make the rail supply chain stronger still.

In many cases, we’re making good progress on improving capability.

Our Infrastructure skills strategy, for example, sets out a plan to get an extra 30,000 apprentices working in transport to help deliver £60 billion of transport investment up to 2020.

But the best, most effective and most far-reaching changes are always those led by the industry itself.

And that is why I was so glad to see the Rail Supply Group publish its sector strategy last year.

The strategy means that, for the first time, the rail supply chain has a common plan for how it will grow in numbers, productivity and expertise.

A plan for how, by 2025, the industry will:

– attract new talent

– develop new technology

– harness the energy, drive and innovation of the sector’s SMEs

– become a global leader in high speed rail

– more than double exports

It’s a strategy with some great ideas that are now being implemented.

For example, the rail industry, in partnership with a number of universities, has advanced plans for a network of innovation centres to speed up the introduction of new ideas and technologies into rail.

I know many of you contributed to the strategy, and are now working hard on putting it into action.

I would urge you not to lose the impetus but to continue to work hard.

The government will help wherever we can.

For instance, later this month we will be launching the rail ‘first of a kind programme’ with Innovate UK. This will help you to break down the barriers to commercialising high-value innovations that are close to market and allow passengers to experience today how your innovations will meet their needs tomorrow.

We will help to ensure that the radical rail innovations emerging from your investments play their vital role by improving their take up.

Earlier this year, we also launched what we’re calling sector seals, as part of government’s industrial strategy.

I know that RIA has been, and will continue to be, involved in the Rail Sector Deal – along with the Rail Supply Group and the Rail Delivery Group.

And I understand that it’s due to be submitted to the government on Monday.

It should shape the future relationship between the government and the rail industry, putting the supply chain squarely at the front of this relationship, and should help the industry digitalise, and get the most value out of its data.

I would very much like to see the rail sector deal succeed, and I hope it will be included in the second wave of published deals in spring 2018.

2018 the Year of Engineering

Yet there’s another great opportunity coming in the future.

2018 is going to be a special year for engineering.

It’ll be the year that Crossrail opens.

The construction of HS2 will be well underway.

And Thameslink will be complete.

Rail engineering will have a prominence it hasn’t had for a long time.

So we want to capitalise on it, and to make 2018 the Year of Engineering.

It’ll be a chance to celebrate everything you do for our country.

It’ll be a chance to show the world some of the brilliant railway projects delivered in the UK.

And, even more importantly, it will be a chance to inspire a new generation of rail engineers.

So we in the government would like to work with you over the next year to hear your ideas, to join forces, to make 2018 a landmark year for rail engineering.

Conclusion

And so in conclusion, I’d like to thank you for your commitment to our railways.

And thank you for doing so much to keep Britain moving.

Thank you.

Below is the text of the statement made by Paul Maynard, the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Rail, Accessibility and HS2, in the House of Commons on 29 June 2017.

I am pleased to report that earlier this month, the first new Class 345 train entered passenger service on the TfL rail line between Shenfield and Liverpool Street. Although the trains were due to enter service in May 2017 some of the testing, assurance and approvals took a little longer than originally expected. The successful introduction of the train marked the first stage of the 5 staged Crossrail opening strategy. The service will be named the Elizabeth line when the central section opens in central London from December 2018.I am pleased to report that earlier this month, the first new Class 345 train entered passenger service on the TfL rail line between Shenfield and Liverpool Street. Although the trains were due to enter service in May 2017 some of the testing, assurance and approvals took a little longer than originally expected. The successful introduction of the train marked the first stage of the 5 staged Crossrail opening strategy. The service will be named the Elizabeth line when the central section opens in central London from December 2018.

Stage 2 of the Crossrail opening strategy which will see TfL rail services operating with the new trains between Heathrow Terminals 2, 3 and 4 and Paddington (high level station), is due to start from May 2018. A major step forward in delivering this new service was the installation of new digital signalling in the Heathrow tunnels in April 2017. Testing and commissioning of the new signalling system is now underway, ahead of the new trains commencing testing later this year.

I am pleased to report the Crossrail project’s health and safety indicators demonstrate strong performance over the year with all the key indicators exceeding the corporate objectives for the year 2016 to 2017.

In the past year significant progress has been made across the project. The Crossrail programme is approaching 85% complete. In the central tunnel section all platforms have now been completed, track installation is over 90% complete, power and ventilation installation have reached 70% and 30% complete respectively, and installation of platform edge screen doors has commenced at Bond Street and London Paddington. Architectural finishes are being applied and escalator and lift installation has commenced across the central stations. Testing of the new central section infrastructure and systems will commence by the end of 2017, with the new central section stations being completed during 2018.

The critical works for the stabling facility at Ilford depot was completed in May 2017, to support the introduction of new trains into passenger service. Further work at Ilford depot to support stage 4 (Paddington to Shenfield) opening continues and is expected to be delivered by May 2019. Works continue at Old Oak Common depot to support stages 2 and 3 (Paddington to Abbey Wood).
Major surface works were delivered by Network Rail on the existing rail network this year. During the Christmas 2016 blockade an unprecedented level of works were successfully delivered on the Great Western and Anglia railways. These works included the entry into service of the new Acton Dive Under and the Stockley Flyover, both of which will improve capacity and reliability between Heathrow and Paddington. Christmas 2016 also saw the start of the remodelling of tracks at Shenfield, which was completed during May 2017.

Manufacturing of the new trains is progressing. Trains will be progressively introduced over the next few months, with 11 in service by autumn, replacing just over half the existing train fleet. In preparation for the operation of the Elizabeth line services a purpose built facility has been commissioned to simulate the operation of passenger services and ensure key components and software are tested. The Crossrail integration facility is an essential element to support the next stages and success of the Crossrail opening strategy.
Training of the new operations workforce is well underway. Drivers are familiarising themselves with the new trains and route. There are now circa 700 apprentices who have gained experience across the project. Crossrail’s purpose built training facility, the Tunnelling and Underground Construction Academy has now become part of Transport for London and will continue to offer apprenticeships and training to support the next generation of skills for rail and tunnelling projects.

The Crossrail Board forecast that the cost of constructing Crossrail will be within the overall £14.8 billion funding envelope (excluding rolling stock costs). Cost pressures are increasing across the project and Crossrail Ltd is identifying and implementing initiatives to deliver cost efficiencies until completion in 2019. Crossrail’s joint sponsors (Department for Transport and Transport for London) will continue to meet regularly with Crossrail Ltd to ensure that the project is being effectively managed and will be delivered within funding and on schedule.

During the passage of the Crossrail Bill through Parliament, a commitment was given that a statement would be published at least every 12 months until the completion of the construction of Crossrail, setting out information about the project’s funding and finances.

In line with this commitment, this statement comes within 12 months of the last one, which was published on 30 June 2016. The relevant information is as follows:

Total funding amounts provided to Crossrail Limited by the Department for Transport and TfL in relation to the construction of Crossrail to the end of the period (22 July 2008 to 29 May 2017) £10,860,539,046

Expenditure incurred (including committed land and property spend not yet paid out) by Crossrail Limited in relation to the construction of Crossrail in the period (30 May 2016 to 29 May 2017) (excluding recoverable VAT on land and property purchases) £1,636,471,000

Total expenditure incurred (including committed land and property spend not yet paid out) by Crossrail Limited in relation to the construction of Crossrail to the end of the period (22 July 2008 to 29 May 2017) (excluding recoverable VAT on land and property purchases) £10,886,978,000

The Amounts realised by the disposal of any land or property for the purposes of the construction of Crossrail by the Secretary of State, TfL or Crossrail Limited in the period covered by the statement. Nil

The numbers above are drawn from Crossrail Limited’s books of account and have been prepared on a consistent basis with the update provided last year. The figure for expenditure incurred includes monies already paid out in relevant period, including committed land and property expenditure where this has not yet been paid. It does not include future expenditure on construction contracts that have been awarded.

Below is the text of the speech made by Paul Maynard, the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Transport, on 22 June 2017.

Introduction

It’s an honour to open today’s conference.

It’s an honour; not least because of where we are this morning.

In Birmingham, the city where a thousand-strong HS2 team is getting the project off the drawing board and into reality.

On Curzon Street, just over the road from Birmingham’s original station — opened in 1838, abandoned in the 1960s, and which we want to open again for HS2.

And in Birmingham Science Museum, whose halls show what this city has already achieved for science, technology and transport — and point to what it will achieve in future.

But if it’s an honour to be here, today’s conference is for me also a special occasion for one more reason.

New role and progress on HS2

This is the first speech I’ve delivered in my new job — as Minister for HS2.

For most of the past year, I’ve been working as Minister for Rail.

Taking responsibility for everything to do with our railways.

Except for HS2.

A year ago, that division made sense.

Back then, the HS2 Bill for Phase One — the stretch from Birmingham to London — was a concept that had yet to be approved by parliament.

The route for much of the second phase of HS2 — from Crewe to Manchester and Birmingham to Leeds — had yet to be announced.

The procurement for the main engineering works, the rolling stock, and the franchise for operating the railway — all had yet to be triggered.

Back then, HS2 was still in the planning phase.

A distinct, stand-alone project.

But today, things have moved on.

Those plans are now starting to be implemented.

On sites up and down the route, the first enabling works are underway — we’ve begun the utility diversions, land clearance and environmental surveys.

We’ll shortly award the multi-billion-pound contracts for the main engineering works.

In April, we began the hunt for designers for 3 brand new stations, at Curzon Street, Birmingham Interchange and London’s Old Oak Common, as well as the expansion of London Euston.

We’ve launched the competition to design, build and maintain HS2’s fleet of trains, and we expect to award the contract in 2019.

By the end of this year, we expect to deposit the bill for the stretch of track beyond Birmingham and on to Crewe.

And we have announced our preferred route for much of the sections from Crewe to Manchester and Birmingham to Leeds.

Yet today is the start of our integrating this part of the future rail network into the rest of the passenger network.

Because, most significantly of all, I am delighted that today we have announced the shortlist of bidders for the West Coast Partnership franchise — the franchise to operate services both on HS2 and the existing West Coast Line.

One of the 3 consortia in the final round, each with a vast range of skills and much experience, will deliver that integration with us.

One of these bidders will take on the role of running both the West Coast Main Line and HS2 simultaneously.

Their responsibility — for integrating HS2’s services as part of the existing national rail network — mirrors my responsibility, in my new job, to oversee both our existing railways and HS2, and to ensure the successful integration of the two.

The uniting of the HS2 brief and the rail brief under one minister for the first time should be taken as a signal.

Of how far HS2 has come.

But also of the government’s expectations for this project.

That HS2 should not be a railway apart, or a better, faster alternative to the classic rail network.

But rather for HS2 to join the existing network, to expand and enhance it.

The case for HS2

That vision of HS2 as an enhancement of the existing network has always been integral to the case for the project.

And it’s a case still worth making.

Take that old station over the road.

Twelve years after it was built, the West Coast Main Line was completed.

For the first time it became possible to take a direct train from London to Glasgow.

That year, the UK population was 15 million people.

That year, those 15 million people made 60 million rail journeys.

It’s an impressive figure.

But it’s small fry compared to the numbers our rail network caters for nowadays.

Today we have a population of 65 million people.

In 2015 we took 1.7 billion rail journeys.

And the numbers keep going up, year on year.

Already it can be a struggle to get a seat at peak times across much of the network.

If we do nothing, the situation will get worse.

Benefits of HS2

But when we’ve built HS2, our railways will be able to carry an extra 300,000 people every day.

It will be a radical upgrade to Britain’s rail capacity — and not just for the places that HS2 will directly serve.

Yes, there’s the 8 out of 10 of Britain’s biggest cities that will be directly connected by HS2.

And the many more places that will be served by HS2 trains running onto the existing network.

But it’s because we’re treating HS2 as an addition and enhancement to our existing network that the benefits of HS2 won’t be restricted to its passengers – or even just those who live near a future HS2 station.

Thanks to the way that HS2 will free space on our existing network, over 100 towns and cities across the country could benefit from new services on that existing rail network.

We know that transport has a unique power to transform places.

And I’d like us to start thinking about how HS2 will help places along the length and breadth of the country.

I am grateful that, thanks to the hard work of many people in this room today, we are already making good progress: looking at how HS2 can have the same positive effects that high speed rail has had in cities such as Bordeaux and Utrecht.

And how we can bring those effects to places such as Euston, Old Oak Common, Curzon Street, Crewe, Toton, Sheffield, Manchester and Leeds.

It’s great to see, for instance, the plans already being made by the councils and local enterprise partnerships of Staffordshire and Cheshire.

Plans for how HS2 could help support 100,000 new homes and 120,000 new jobs in the area.

Then there’s Leeds City Council’s plans for how HS2 could help reshape the South Bank area of the city.

And Greater Manchester Combined Authority estimates that, by 2040, HS2 will help create 180,000 new local jobs and add £1.3 billion to the region’s economy.

These are some of the big cities and regions directly served by HS2.

Their plans are well advanced, and I am grateful to everyone here who has contributed to these plans and many others.

But I also want to maintain a focus on the smaller places along the route who will receive better rail services as a result of HS2.

Even if, in many cases, it might still be too early for us to make concrete plans in every place.

It’s not too early for us to start to shift expectations.

To think what it might mean, for example, if HS2 can create more seats for passengers travelling between places such as Milton Keynes and Leicester.

Or better intercity services to London from Shrewsbury and Telford, Tamworth and Nuneaton.

Or more intercity services to London, perhaps from Middlesbrough, Hull and Lincoln.

Along with many other places along the line of route.

We know that HS2 will transform Euston and parts of Birmingham, Leeds, Manchester and Crewe.

But we also need to start planning for the way that HS2 will bring improvements across much of the existing network.

Skills

Of course, I also want to be clear that the opportunity of HS2 is by no means restricted to the rail network.

It’s an opportunity for our economy as a whole.

Even someone who never travels by train stands to benefit from the thousands of jobs and apprenticeships created on the project.

As well as thousands more created by the better connections HS2 will bring.

During peak construction, we expect HS2 to employ 25,000 people.

And when HS2 is complete, it will support many, many times that number of jobs in the wider economy.

Then there’s the thousands of skilled engineers who will be trained at our High Speed Rail Colleges in this city and in Doncaster.

Each of whom will gain the skills to work on HS2, but also the skills needed to maintain and enhance our existing infrastructure and to work on new projects.

Then there’s all those who will be employed at the HS2 regeneration sites across the country.

Where, in the Leeds South Bank project, 35,000 jobs are expected to be created.

And in this region, the Greater Birmingham and Solihull growth strategy for the areas around the HS2 stations is planning for 36,000 new jobs — and 4,000 new homes.

I could go on — but I know that later today you’ll hear much more about these plans and others.

Conclusion

I’d like to conclude by saying thank you.

Thank you to everyone here who has already done so much to prepare the way for HS2.

Whether you’re planning for regeneration, preparing to bid for contracts on the project or already involved in any way.

The political case for this project has already largely been won.

But to win the public case we need people to see what this project will do for our country.

How it will transform places.

Raise skill levels.

And spread new opportunity.

That’s exactly what – in one way or another — everyone gathered here is helping to do.

So, thank you — and I look forward to working closely with you in the months and years ahead.