RIA publishes checklist to align UK rail strategies
The Railway Industry Association (RIA) has published a checklist designed to help government, Great British Railways (GBR), devolved authorities and industry ensure that the UK’s growing number of rail and transport strategies form a coherent and deliverable system.
image: RIA
A Checklist for Rail Strategies is intended to help those developing or reviewing strategies identify gaps, align priorities and test whether proposed plans can be delivered over the long term. It does not assess existing strategies or make policy recommendations.
The checklist comes as the government develops a long-term rail strategy and establishes GBR, while regional and local authorities take on greater roles in transport planning. The Department for Transport published an update on the proposed direction of the long-term rail strategy in September, with the final strategy expected in autumn 2027.
RIA’s framework examines six areas: outcomes, service proposition, enablers, capabilities, accountability and engagement, and coherence.
It recommends that strategies begin by defining the outcomes transport is expected to deliver, rather than focusing primarily on rail infrastructure or services. These outcomes could include economic growth, housing, freight and wider social objectives.
The checklist also calls for greater clarity over priorities and trade-offs, including affordability, capacity and long-term value, and a clear link between desired outcomes, the services required and the investment needed to deliver them. It encourages strategies to set out plans across five-, 10-, 15- and 30-year horizons.
Other recommendations include clarifying responsibilities while ensuring organisations work across institutional boundaries, and treating strategies as active plans with clear ownership, governance and accountability rather than documents that are left unchanged after publication.
RIA policy and public affairs director Robert Cook said the creation of GBR and the growing role of mayoral strategic authorities presented an opportunity to bring rail strategies and plans together. He said a clearer relationship between intended outcomes and investment would help the supply chain plan for future skills and capacity requirements.
The government’s proposed long-term rail strategy is intended to provide the overarching direction for the railway over a 30-year period. Under the Railways Bill proposals, it will inform GBR’s decisions and take account of other national, devolved and regional transport strategies, including the Integrated National Transport Strategy.
RIA said its checklist was developed through its Rail Strategies Working Group, with input from members and other industry experts. It is intended for use when strategies are commissioned, produced, assured or updated.
The checklist is available from the Railway Industry Association.