East Coast Mainline Authorities (ECMA) is calling on the UK and Scottish governments to invest in the East Coast Main Line, after research identified over £60m of economic benefits per year through punctuality and reliability improvements
The East Coast Main Line is a key strategic rail route, stretching more than 500 miles, from Scotland through key stops at Edinburgh and York to London.
A third of the UK population lives within 20 minutes of an East Coast Main Line station and together they deliver 41% of the UK’s GDP. Therefore, constraints on the line can lead to significant disruption.
In 2018, 12 major incidents occurred costing the UK economy £46.28m. Each major incident equates to a full loss of service per day and this unreliability is one of the contributing factors to the Public Performance Measure (PPM).
Smaller incidents can also cause significant disruptions, but if the number of delays on the line over 10 minutes were halved, this would deliver an additional £62.8m per annum.
In 2018, the government announced a £780m investment for the East Coast Main Line to reduce journey times on key flows and provide new links. The majority of this work will be completed by 2021, but there are no plans for further improvements or resources to fund them.
ECMA members are calling on the government to identify additional funding to help tackle issues of capacity and resilience on the line.
Keith Aspden, chair of ECMA, said: “Investment in the East Coast Main Line will deliver economic benefits across the country from the Highlands to Hertfordshire and means customers benefit from better reliability and greater resilience.
“Currently, the line is vulnerable to major disruptions which is why ECMA is calling on the UK and Scottish governments to secure addition funding for Network Rail to deliver a more reliable rail network for customers.”
Andy D’Agorne, deputy leader of City of York Council, said: “York’s rail connectivity is a key asset to the city’s residents and businesses and a world-class transport hub which contributes significantly to our city’s economy.
“The ability to visit and do business with cities like London or Edinburgh in a day is a substantial benefit to the region which relies on this infrastructure being fit for purpose.
“It is vital that this much needed, sustainable transport network is given the care and investment it deserves to serve the populations up and down the country for years to come.”
