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Section 5 -
Levelling up and connectivityThe Secretary of State for Levelling Up has outlined four key outcomes on which the government will focus:
* Empowering local leaders and communities;
* Boosting living standards by growing the private sector and improving productivity and connectivity;
* Spreading opportunity and improving public services; and
* Restoring local pride.
Rail has an important part to play in working toward these outcomes, and particularly so in connecting the nations, regions and communities of the
UK▸ . Improved rail links can connect people to jobs, education and skills, high-quality housing, social opportunities, services, and green spaces, as well as encouraging the growth of businesses, and attracting leisure visitors into an area. Improving stations and surrounding areas can also act as a catalyst for regeneration and development and a cause for local pride.
At present, usage of rail differs widely across the UK; before the pandemic, almost two thirds of all rail journeys made were in London and the south east (Rail Sector in Numbers report from 2019).
When answering your questions, consider the ways in which rail can be used to improve connectivity and local economic growth over the next 5, 10, and 30 years.
Question 5
a) What evidence can you provide for how the rail sector contributes to the four levelling up outcomes and to improving connectivity across Great Britain, including through cross-border services? How does this change depending on the type of place where the sector operates (including in cities, towns and rural areas), and what are the most cost-effective ways at the sector’s disposal to improve that further during the next 5, 10, and 30 years?
b) How could the rail industry, over the next 5, 10, and 30 years, become more responsive to, and more accountable to, local communities and passengers? Please give evidence and examples in your response.
c) What is a stretching yet realistic ambition for this objective and what measures can we most effectively use to consider success over the coming 5, 10 and 30 years? What are the interventions over that period which will be the maximum value for money, and what evidence can you share to support your views?
