Community Rail Network has enthusiastically welcomed the announcement that an Integrated National Transport Strategy for England will be created by government, working with local leaders and partners, to widen access to opportunity, and enable sustainable and inclusive travel.
Taking a ‘people first approach’, the strategy will set out how government can support local areas to make all forms of transport work together better, to join up networks, empower local leaders, and drive economic growth.
Plans for the new strategy, the first in quarter of a century, were unveiled by the (then) Transport Secretary, Louise Haigh MP, in Leeds on Thursday 28 November, in a speech to Metro Mayors, council leaders, and transport bodies, including Community Rail Network.
Drawing on community rail’s experiencing engaging communities across Britain, Jools Townsend, chief executive of Community Rail Network, commented:
“We are excited about feeding into England’s new Integrated National Transport Strategy and emboldened by the Secretary of State’s vision for putting people and local needs at the forefront of transport.
“In community rail, we are all about helping people and communities get more from their local railways and wider transport networks, so we have a rich array of insights to share from our grassroots movement on what positive, inclusive change looks like. We see up close the difference it makes to people’s lives, being able to confidently access public transport and get around their local areas. It means accessing the work and training opportunities you deserve, staying connected with friends and family, and visiting enriching places. Yet this is not a given for many.
“It was deeply encouraging to hear the Secretary of State’s acknowledgement of the scale of the challenge we face, but also the huge benefits on offer, from integrating our fragmented system, ensuring everyone can get around safely and sustainably, and enabling greater use of public transport and active travel for the sake of our climate, local places, health and wellbeing. Involving communities in this transformation is vital; we are looking forward to playing a strong role in community rail, and alongside our Sustainable Transport Alliance partners.”
The strategy will offer clarity as to how transport across England can evolve over the next decade so that more places offer better, more seamless, door-to-door journeys.
To help inform its development, regional roadshows will be hosted around the country to hear more from local leaders, transport operators and passenger bodies, and there is also a public consultation, open until 30 January 2025. You can find more details on this ‘call for ideas’ here. Community Rail Network will be seeking to involve its members in this engagement exercise.
You can also read the full DfT press release on the launch of the strategy here.
Read more here on the Sustainable Transport Alliance, a collective of eight national NGOs including Community Rail Network, working on different aspects of sustainable and inclusive travel.
