APPGI and ICE Green Paper: accelerating delivery of the Integrated Rail Plan

In November 2021, the UK government published the Integrated Rail Plan for the North and Midlands (IRP).

It sets out a core pipeline of rail schemes totalling £96.4 billion to be delivered between the mid-2020s and the mid-2040s.

The IRP brings together many major projects within a single strategy. These include High Speed 2, the Transpennine Route Upgrade and the Midlands Rail Hub.

Work has already started on some of these schemes. However, there's still no certainty on dates for many projects and most will have to pass a further gateway review before they receive the go-ahead.

The government is also open to adapting the IRP. It has scaled back many proposals while leaving open the possibility of approving other projects outside of the core pipeline.

Public transport has a key role to play in achieving the UK’s long-term national objectives, particularly levelling up and net zero.

There's little time to lose to deliver the major strategic infrastructure projects needed to help achieve those goals.

Thus, the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Infrastructure (APPGI) and the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) are launching this green paper consultation to gather evidence on how we can accelerate progress on what's been agreed in the IRP.

We're seeking to hear from infrastructure professionals, civil engineers and other interested stakeholders on three key questions:

• Question 1: What are realistic timescales for delivery of the individual schemes in the IRP core pipeline?
• Question 2: What measures can be taken to accelerate the delivery of individual projects in the pipeline and the plan as a whole?
• Question 3: What principles could be used to determine what could be added to the core pipeline in the future and when?

Responses should be sent to ICE Policy. The consultation will close on Friday 5th August 2022.

The findings from the responses, alongside other evidence, will form a policy paper with recommendations. It will be published in the autumn.