Aug
27
I welcome the new investment in London Liverpool Street Station and new Acceleration Unit launched by Transport Secretary
Author: Chloe Smith, Updated: 27 August 2020 11:43
I was delighted to see Grant Shapps, the Transport Secretary, launch a ‘Acceleration Unit’ to speed up delivery of transport projects this week. Additionally, the Government has committed to a new wave of funding to level up all parts of the UK, including a £1.1 million investment for Network Rail to develop plans to relieve overcrowding at London Liverpool Street station.
The new 'Acceleration Unit' will mean that vital rail and road upgrades that will create jobs, increase connectivity, and boost the economy will be delivered more quickly. The new team of specialists will join the Department for Transport in order to tackle delays to infrastructure projects and drive forward progress for passengers. The unit is set to be in place next month and will be directly accountable to the Transport Secretary.
I know how important capacity on our trains and at London Liverpool Street is for Norwich. Looking forward, over the next 15 years Network Rail is expecting a 2.5% growth in passengers per annum, which must be matched by improvements in our rail service to ensure that good jobs and more opportunities come to Norfolk.
London Liverpool Street Station saw almost 70 million rail passenger journeys in 2018-19. It is great news that the newly announced £1.1 million will be spent on improving passenger capacity and flows around the station area.
Alongside new investments, the 'Acceleration Unit’ is part of the broader plan for a green economic recovery from the Coronavirus. As we build back after Covid-19, we can deliver an economy which is greener and more resilient.
Improving transport in Norwich has always been a priority for me. The Government recently pledged to invest an additional £2 billion in cycling and walking, in recognition of the fact that these forms of transport will play a vital role in helping to get us all back to work safely. The first stage of this £2 billion investment was the emergency active travel fund, intended to deliver new pop-up cycle lanes and other transport investments. Norfolk County Council has been allocated £1.9m in total from this fund.
The Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy has also announced a Green Recovery working group which will explore how to capture the economic growth opportunities from the shift to net zero emissions. I am confident that the Government is fully committed to the Paris Agreement, which I agree is vital to ensure we look after our world for future generations.
More broadly, we can all now use public transport in England to travel again, as long as social distancing guidelines are adhered to and we wear a face mask. Research by the Rail Safety and Standards Board has shown that the risk of Covid-19 infection is less than 0.01% on an average rail journey. I hope we all have the confidence to return to using our rail service again, as schools and work places begin to fully re-open.
Chloe Smith