Earlier this year the UK government announced the creation of a Mass Transit Taskforce and so far the group has been collecting evidence from various stakeholders across the country. One such stakeholder is UKTram who have confirmed they have submitted evidence where they have outlined recommendations to help the UK deliver mass transit schemes more efficiently and sustainability.<\/p>\n
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The submission has drawn on experience from across the light rail sector and examines the lifecycle of mass transit projects, from their economic and social benefits and early business cases through to funding, procurement, construction, testing and eventual operation.<\/p>\n
The response makes the point that there needs to be a move away from treating each project as standalone. It highlights that the challenges that emerge during construction, procurement, or commissioning can often be traced back to earlier issues, including uncertain funding, fragmented governance, capability gaps, and insufficiently developed plans.<\/p>\n
UKTram are calling for a clearer and more consistent national framework for mass transit, supported by appropriate local accountability, greater standardization and better use of lessons already learned across established networks.<\/p>\n
The importance of a visible, long-term pipeline of schemes is also highlighted as this would help authorities retain experienced teams and give the supply chain greater confidence to invest in skills, specialist capability, manufacturing and innovation.<\/p>\n
There is probably no surprise that UKTram also makes the case for considering the full value of light rail when assessing future schemes. Light rail can move large numbers of people efficiently and evidence shows that it has potential to support modal shift, improve accessibility and contribute to regeneration, housing and investment.<\/p>\n
James Hammett, UKTram Managing Director, said: \u201cI\u2019d like to thank our team, members, partners and working groups for the time and expertise they have contributed. It\u2019s helped us to submit a comprehensive piece of evidence that reflects experience from across the sector.\u201d<\/p>\n
Following the submission of evidence the Mass Transit Taskforce will now run a number of Taskforce roundtables over the coming weeks, including 32 expert advisers who will provide strategic guidance, technical expertise and industry insight.<\/p>\n
These experts include James Hammett, Sophie Allison (West Midlands Metro Managing Director and UKTram Board Member) and Simon Coulthard (Network Rail Head of Light Rail and UKTram Board Member).<\/p>\n
James Hammett added: \u201cWe now look forward to the next stage of the Taskforce\u2019s work and the roundtables and expert meetings taking place over the coming weeks. Our initial discussions have aligned closely with the recommendations in our submission, and we welcome the opportunity to continue contributing to these conversations.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Earlier this year the UK government announced the creation of a Mass Transit Taskforce and so far the group has been collecting evidence from various stakeholders across the country. One such stakeholder is UKTram who have confirmed they have submitted … Continue reading