The Transport Select Committee (TSC) says the government must reassess its Integrated Rail Plan (IRP) because alternative options have not been properly tested.
Furthermore, its report into the IRP, published on 27 July, says key elements of the economic impacts of varying options for Northern Powerhouse Rail (NPR) have been left out, meaning value for money and economic return cannot be compared and validated. The evidence base for the IRP must, says the report, be reconsidered in the light of the Government’s aim to end regional imbalances.
It is calling for a full analysis of the wider economic impacts of NPR and a full benefit-cost ratio. The report argues that if the results prove other options offer better value and outcomes for taxpayers, the economy and communities, the government must ‘grasp the nettle’ and make the changes needed. ‘Without having completed a full analysis of the wider economic impacts, it is difficult to see how the Government has fully assessed the levelling-up agenda and the case for different NPR options. Leaving out these key elements of analysis means that the value for…
