Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the timeline is for the completion of the Whole Industry Strategic Plan.

The Secretary of State set out in May the government’s ambitions for Britain’s railways through the Williams-Shapps Plan for Rail. This included the commissioning of a ‘Whole Industry Strategic Plan’ that will become the first 30-year strategy for rail, providing clear, long-term plans for transforming the railways to strengthen collaboration, unlock efficiencies and incentivise innovation. The strategy will be produced for Ministers by Great British Railways, the new body established to provide strong and unified leadership across the rail network, enabling government to set clear direction for the railways in support of national priorities. The first strategy will be ready in 2022, with partners across the rail sector and beyond it consulted as it develops.