Train operators have identified a positive business case for opening 14 new rail lines and up to 40 new stations, reducing transport pressures at towns and cities across the country.

Nine of the proposed rail lines have an indicative benefit-to-cost (BCR) ratio of 1.5 or more – the normal pass mark for Department for Transport appraisal of rail schemes – and five more have a BCR in excess of one, according to the Association of Train Operating Companies (ATOC) report, which has been welcomed by local authority transport officers.

The document also identifies seven towns which could be served by new park-and-ride stations on existing lines. All have a strong business case, with Rushden scoring a BCR of 10.2, and Peterlee in County Durham, 8.8.

The report backs an inter-urban link from Oxford to Milton Keynes, which would benefit two eco towns proposed in the corridor.
The 14 rail links proposed would serve towns in Surrey, Hampshire, Devon, the West Midlands, Cambridgeshire, Derbyshire, Fleetwood, Lancashire, Tyne and Wear, and Northumberland.

The schemes would operate on either existing freight or heritage lines, recently-closed freight lines where most of the infrastructure remains, or part of the formation of lines closed some years ago.

Another six schemes had a BCR of below one, but 1.5 or more based on operating costs and revenue alone, excluding the capital costs of fixed work. This mirrors the approach adopted by the Welsh Assembly Government for the Ebbw Vale line, and being adopted in Scotland for the Borders Railway.

Graeme Fitton, chair of the CSS (County Surveyors’ Society) transport committee, said: ‘It’s essential that the planning of the rail network includes expansion of the network to meet new demands for sustainable public transport, and we welcome the proposals in the report, if there is a good business case.’

He warned that many of the proposals would require public funding, when there ‘are currently a lot of demands on the public purse.

‘That said, I see this as a great opportunity for the rail industry to work with local authorities and other stakeholders to ensure that the best case is made for good schemes.’

ATOC chief executive, Michael Roberts, said: ‘We need to safeguard these [proposed] routes and develop the detailed case for investment.’

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