2015 Election Railway Pledges and Commitments.

[thenorthern]

With almost exactly 6 months to go until the General Election I thought railway pledges, changes and commitments have been mentioned or are likely to feature on party manifestos for the 2015 election.

So far I reckon we will have from the four main parties:

Conservatives - Promise to build HS2 and maybe a commitment to introduce more carriages and electrification and potentially something about replacing Northern Rail pacers to try and gain some votes in the North of England.

Labour - They have spoken about either re-nationalisation or a public sector operator being allowed to bid for franchises alongside private companies but I have doubts that this will feature. I think they will pledge to build HS2 but with modifications though I am not sure what and I am sure more stock and electrification will feature on pledges.

Liberal Democrats - Both John Pugh and Nick Clegg have said they want pacers withdrawn so I think this will feature on their manifesto and it will be an attempt for them to try and gain some votes in the North of England. The Lib Dems have always seemed big on electrification and railways so I think commitments to make the railways more accessible. I wouldn't be surprised if something about re-nationalisation was put on as a pledge.

UK Independence Party - I don't think I have ever heard them mention transport let alone the railways.

What else do people think will feature?

 

[DXMachina]

Without wishing this to seem partisan (I'm not Scottish), I feel that on the grounds of electoral representation & likelihood of being part of a coalition, the SNP is a party worthy of inclusion in the debate, while UKIP may be worthy of exclusion

 

[satisnek]

UKIP have pledged to scrap HS2.

 

[6Gman]

UKIP have pledged to scrap HS2.

Having pledged to build three of them in their 2010 Manifesto!

 

[21C101]

Am expecting some pledges in the southwest. As well as A303 upgrade, am expecting some sort of additional doubling on Salisbury Exeter as well as Tavistock reopening (bolt on cert as someone else is paying)

Very outside chance of funding of reopening the route via Okehampton to Plymouth.

Reason: Lots of Tory/Lib Dem marginal seats (not that I'm cynical or anything)

 

[NotATrainspott]

The SNP are very supportive of rail investment and would be completely behind any Labour moves to change the franchising system in favour of not-for-profits or for more LOROL-style concession deals. They want HS2 built to Scotland as soon as possible, so will support all HS2 construction in England.

 

[Markdvdman]

With almost exactly 6 months to go until the General Election I thought railway pledges, changes and commitments have been mentioned or are likely to feature on party manifestos for the 2015 election.

So far I reckon we will have from the four main parties:

Conservatives - Promise to build HS2 and maybe a commitment to introduce more carriages and electrification and potentially something about replacing Northern Rail pacers to try and gain some votes in the North of England.

Labour - They have spoken about either re-nationalisation or a public sector operator being allowed to bid for franchises alongside private companies but I have doubts that this will feature. I think they will pledge to build HS2 but with modifications though I am not sure what and I am sure more stock and electrification will feature on pledges.

Liberal Democrats - Both John Pugh and Nick Clegg have said they want pacers withdrawn so I think this will feature on their manifesto and it will be an attempt for them to try and gain some votes in the North of England. The Lib Dems have always seemed big on electrification and railways so I think commitments to make the railways more accessible. I wouldn't be surprised if something about re-nationalisation was put on as a pledge.

UK Independence Party - I don't think I have ever heard them mention transport let alone the railways.

What else do people think will feature?

I do not believe any of them as they will say anything to get into power!

As for pacers - the Valleys and South Wales is flooded with that rubbish!

Due to half term I had EIGHT pacer trains to and back from work (2 carriage ones mind) which were rammed, uncomfortable and this is from Merthyr to Cadoxton and back - 20 stops and about 30 or so miles one way. It is ridiculous and unfair!

 

[thenorthern]

SNP are very pro rail although at most they can have 65 MPs which is exactly 10% of all MPs which would mean their influence at Westminster is minimal so any pledges at 2015 will not really have any effect on the railway. Not to mention that railways are a devolved matter.

I think the biggest railway things mentioned will be HS2 and replacement of pacers in the north of England.

 

[Rapidash]

Not sure why UKIP are getting a mention on that list by the way, and not the Greens. Fairly certainly Caroline Lucas has been in that rotten house for the last 4 years, don'tchaknow

Despite their many, many, many, many, many, many, many, many ( That's enough Many's, Ed ) faults, the Tories can atleast say they have gone through with one promise - the construction of the Kingskerswell Bypass is pretty much done, after 60 years in development hell. Still won't vote for 'em, mind!

Saunders (LD) remains fairly popular in Torquay and Paignton, and is a good call for support in difficult circumstances. I imagine UKIP are going to be pushing hard around here come next year, though.

Considering that the Torbay Tories despise their own elected mayor, I can't imagine their chosen candidate is going to be a stunning bastion of aloofness. Not sure I can find it in me to vote for Wooleston, either

Not sure if Bed Bradshaw (probably the only 'big hitter' of any party in the West Country) is stepping down in Exeter. Hope not, as he's helped many of my clients out

It would be bloody fantastic if all the plans NR, DCC and TC have dreamed up get the cash and get fulfilled, but the fact remains that Devon and Cornwall remain very low down the agenda for votes, and as such we'll be lucky to get much more beyond the current in-motion plans.

 

[455driver]

It doesn't matter what they pledge, none of it will happen the lying bunch of <deleted>

 

[CP165]

Without wishing this to seem partisan (I'm not Scottish), I feel that on the grounds of electoral representation & likelihood of being part of a coalition, the SNP is a party worthy of inclusion in the debate, while UKIP may be worthy of exclusion

Agreed. Green Party also need to be included seeing as they've had an MP for four and a half years, UKIP only a few weeks.

 

[21C101]

I do not believe any of them as they will say anything to get into power!

As for pacers - the Valleys and South Wales is flooded with that rubbish!

Due to half term I had EIGHT pacer trains to and back from work (2 carriage ones mind) which were rammed, uncomfortable and this is from Merthyr to Cadoxton and back - 20 stops and about 30 or so miles one way. It is ridiculous and unfair!

You will have 319s or something similar in the valleys soon enough....

 

[Wavertreelad]

With currently both the Tories and Labour near neck and neck in the polls at 31% and 32% it would appear that we may be heading for another coalition government next May unless things change dramatically. However, with all the main parties now supporting more devolution for Scotland with proposals to be announced by the end of this month, the situation at Westminster could change dramatically if the present Labour vote in Scotland where it currently has 40 MPs at Westminster is diminished. The problem for Labour in Scotland being that failure to back any proposals towards greater devolution could result in Labour votes being lost to the SNP. On the other hand if it supports the case for development, and the Conservatives press continue to press and win the proposal for English MPs only being able to vote on matters that affect England only is very likely that Labour would never have sufficient MPs in Westminster to form a future government.

With the Conservatives now pressing on with HS2 and potentially HS3 as well as growing the northern economy, and improving the nations transport infrastructure it's difficult to see how the other parties are going to counter their proposals, apart from scrapping some of the schemes, some of which they originally proposed. As full scale renationalisation has also almost been ruled out by Labour the only vote winner could be to control fares, but given the economic situation it could be difficult to find a solution that would not harm the public purse. Against this background any 2015 election pledges or commitments are likely to be mainly centred around the main policies affecting everybody, such as the economy and the NHS.


At this point then it is perhaps interesting to consider what exactly was proposed by the then three main parties for the for the 2010 election and the ways that some proposals could be delayed by the civil servants in this spoof series of videos broadcast by BBC Newsnight. http://youtu.be/W-XjIuIgQsw

 

[Qwerty133]

Be a complete joke if the SNP get to be part of a coalition, most the stuff discussed doesn't even affect them, in fact as a party that clearly doesn't have any interest in most of the UK, I believe they should follow one of the irish parties and choose not to take their seats, especially on issues that don't effect Scotland.

 

[Kite159]

You will have 319s or something similar in the valleys soon enough....

Probably the 315s will end up in the valleys once Crossrail gets their 345s & London Overground gets new stock for the Lea Valleys.

As for pre-election promises, the parties will promise various activities they will do if in power, but will quietly drop them once in

 

[tbtc]

TBH, given that we know the CP5 plans (which I don't think any politician will be able to change significantly), I think that a bigger election in railway terms may be this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/London_mayoral_election,_2016

(given the "trickle down" way that railways seem to work in the UK nowadays)

UKIP have pledged to scrap HS2.

Having pledged to build three of them in their 2010 Manifesto!

I was surprised at UKIP's previous policies - I started a thread about them a while ago - http://www.railforums.co.uk/showthread.php?t=80483 - having expected that they'd be against something like HS2 (then surprised that they wanted a dedicated High Speed line to Exeter).

Now, their policies are a bit different, although I'm not sure that most of their voters are going to be bothered about transport - it's all about the EU/ immigration - nobody is going to vote/not vote for UKIP because of their transport policy

Maybe UKIP will want a "Circle Line" that goes all the way round the English coast, taking in the seaside/ retirement towns where they do well (Skegness, Clacton etc)?

Not sure why UKIP are getting a mention on that list by the way, and not the Greens. Fairly certainly Caroline Lucas has been in that rotten house for the last 4 years, don'tchaknow

As someone who has voted Green in various different (levels of) elections, and has never voted Tory, I'm in an awkward position when it comes to railway policies - I much prefer the Tory approach to the Green one - most confusing.

And, agains, whilst I've never been "blue", at least they have delivered on rail, unlike many wasted years under Labour - much as I hate myself for saying this!

Be a complete joke if the SNP get to be part of a coalition, most the stuff discussed doesn't even affect them, in fact as a party that clearly doesn't have any interest in most of the UK, I believe they should follow one of the irish parties and choose not to take their seats, especially on issues that don't effect Scotland.

Presumably all London MPs should abstain at Westminster on issues that are devolved to the London Assembly/ Mayor Of London (or even not take their seats), for similar reasons?

But nobody seems bothered about the "West Ham Question" (why should an MP for West Ham be able to vote on things that affect West Bromwich when the MP for West Bromwich can't vote on things that are devolved to the London Assembly/ Mayor Of London?

 

[NotATrainspott]

Be a complete joke if the SNP get to be part of a coalition, most the stuff discussed doesn't even affect them, in fact as a party that clearly doesn't have any interest in most of the UK, I believe they should follow one of the irish parties and choose not to take their seats, especially on issues that don't effect Scotland.

The SNP are avid supporters of EVEL (when those English laws do not have a significant impact on Scotland through Barnett consequentials).

 

[Hyphen]

Well, in the interest of a well-rounded view, I note that the manifesto published on the BNP's website (which is admittedly their 2010 manifesto - I can't find anything more up to date) claims:

• Reopening railway lines disused after the "Beaching closures"
• Upgrading Britain's waterways to transport freight
• Reversing privatisation (without saying how)
  and - the biggest 'what on earth' of the lot...
• They intend to build a high-speed (200mph) MAGLEV network!!

Suffice to say I won't be voting for this bunch of clowns

 

[Wavertreelad]

Be a complete joke if the SNP get to be part of a coalition, most the stuff discussed doesn't even affect them, in fact as a party that clearly doesn't have any interest in most of the UK, I believe they should follow one of the irish parties and choose not to take their seats, especially on issues that don't effect Scotland.

The fact is that since the referendum Labour has lost a considerable number of MP's to the SNP and they fear this will reflect in the General Election. As the figures below show, any major loss of votes in Scotland could have a major impact on the potential number of MP's it could gain especially if it also lost votes in England to UKIP.

Party Seats
Conservative 303
Labour 257
Liberal Democrat 56
Democratic Unionist 8
Scottish National 6
Sinn Fein 5
Independent 3
Plaid Cymru 3
Social Democratic & Labour Party 3
Alliance 1
Green 1
Respect 1
Speaker 1
UK Independence Party 1
Vacant 1
Total number of seats 650
Current working Government Majority 76

If the Conservatives have their way the SNP might not be able to vote on matters relating to matters affecting England only, although presumably that would exclude HS2 which I believe the SNP would be keen to support being extended to Scotland.

 

[Railsigns]

The SNP are very supportive of rail investment and would be completely behind any Labour moves to change the franchising system in favour of not-for-profits or for more LOROL-style concession deals. They want HS2 built to Scotland as soon as possible, so will support all HS2 construction in England.

SNP are very pro rail

The SNP are very good at claiming the credit for major rail projects started under the previous administration at Holyrood - with the exception of those major rail projects that they (the SNP) scrapped, obviously.

 

[Bevan Price]

Believe politicians at your peril.

LibDem 2010 - "We will abolish student tuition fees"

Con. - "We have reduced taxes"
Can someone remind me how much did they reduce VAT ?

Problem for Lab. - Ed Milliband is about as popular as Michael Foot used to be - intelligent, sincere, but does not attract enough voters. So, in all probability, a Tory majority in the next election or two. Current rail policy will basically continue, but some projects "delayed" to reduce expenditure.

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

Rail spend is pretty much fixed by the current 5-year NR funding cycle.
The next planning round starts in 2017 ready for CP6 in 2019-24.
That's when significant schemes will be settled, like more electrification, reopenings etc.
The new government might tinker with franchise policy, and maybe fares, but scope for anything major is limited - there isn't the money.
HSx promises are cheap because most of the spend won't be until the next parliament.
Devolution is the next big thing - how far, how fast, and where. Politicians will love it. I'm not sure about the railway.
It could change the face of the railway for good, with developments fragmented round the country instead of being managed nationally as it has been since 1948.
And yet we still haven't a clue how Rail North will manage its patch, or what funds it will control.

 

[Qwerty133]

Removed as possibly libelious

 

[GrimsbyPacer]

Believe politicians at your peril.

LibDem 2010 - "We will abolish student tuition fees"

Con. - "We have reduced taxes"
Can someone remind me how much did they reduce VAT ?

Problem for Lab. - Ed Milliband is about as popular as Michael Foot used to be - intelligent, sincere, but does not attract enough voters. So, in all probability, a Tory majority in the next election or two. Current rail policy will basically continue, but some projects "delayed" to reduce expenditure.

The problem with Ed Miliband is that the newspapers are all pro-Tory except for Mirro, Guardian and the Independent

The Tories DID REDUCE TAX! The top rate fell 5% and VAT was 15% at one point under Labour and it's not a fifth of everything we buy.

And tutition fees are non-existant... in Scotland.

 

[thenorthern]

Can we leave the non-railway related items out of it and only discuss relevant things.

 

[Starmill]

Despite their many, many, many, many, many, many, many, many ( That's enough Many's, Ed ) faults, the Tories can atleast say they have gone through with one promise - the construction of the Kingskerswell Bypass is pretty much done, after 60 years in development hell. Still won't vote for 'em, mind!

Which of the bunch of cretins decided what Kingskerwell needed was a bypass in preference to a station?

 

[HSTEd]

They will all spout various things they think people will want to hear.

And then they won't deliver.
What paltry crumbs they do eventually deliver will be overblown by abuse of inflation statistics.
When it turns out the 'largest upgrade programme since the Victorians' is not unless you use nominal figures (it loses out to the Modernisation Plan in real terms).

 

[bnm]

Which of the bunch of cretins decided what Kingskerwell needed was a bypass in preference to a station?

The bunch that understand there are always going to be motor vehicle users. The bunch that understand there has to be a well rounded transport policy. The bunch that understood just what a hellish nightmare getting to/from Torbay was on the A380, especially in Summer.

And I don't think the spending choice was ever an either/or in competition with a station for Kingskerswell.

It's the same bunch that understand the need for the A303/A358 problems to be addressed. Again, funding for that is not at the expense of any rail capital project.

The West of England is an area of the UK that is far more reliant on the use of motor vehicles than rail.

 

[Rapidash]

Which of the bunch of cretins decided what Kingskerwell needed was a bypass in preference to a station?

I think I can safely say that a station in Kingskerswell was never going to help some of the 130k people trying to escape Torbay in the mornings. A station would have perhaps got a few dozen cars off the road, compared to the thousands that clog up that bloody road on a daily basis.

 

[GrimsbyPacer]

I imagine HS2 & HS3 are to be the biggest topic for politicians.
Personally I think only phase 1 of HS2 will be built. This is to increase cummuter capacity to London on the current WCML. The other lines are just to get votes.

Does anyone know what percentage of the public are for and against HS2-3?