“The railway must be adaptable, relatable and must improve its planning processes in order to grow wider economic growth in the future, a report by the Independent Transport Commission (ITC) backed by Network Rail chair Sir Peter Hendy has stated.
“The report, ‘Classic Rail and Connected Cities: Capturing the Benefits from Rail System Development’, looked at the long-term effects of major infrastructure development in rail to create a guide for rail leaders to use to generate greater economic growth across the UK.
“Essentially, the ITC’s findings urged industry leaders to improve their planning processes to create a more long-term, collaborative approach to ensure that decisions are taken with a 30- or 50-year life, rather than just based on five-year funding periods.
“It found that being an industry which is flexible and responsive to change was central to achieving these ambitions, and pushed for the local regions to be the ‘catalyst’ for growth, saying: “A new rail station or service can successfully enable the growth or renewal of a place, but this requires an approach that considers the wider area that the rail station or service will serve.”…”