{"id":64694,"date":"2015-11-27T10:30:16","date_gmt":"2015-11-27T10:30:16","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/?guid=7d520d16fbee2a9e175c0682299636bf"},"modified":"2015-11-27T10:30:16","modified_gmt":"2015-11-27T10:30:16","slug":"speech-we-are-making-the-midlands-an-engine-for-growth","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/?p=64694","title":{"rendered":"Speech: We are making the Midlands an engine for growth"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

Introduction<\/h2>\n

Thank you.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s good to be back with you at this ground.<\/p>\n

This visit has become an annual highlight for me.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s the third year in a row I\u2019ve addressed the forum.<\/p>\n

A run like that is rare for a Transport Secretary.<\/p>\n

Before my appointment in 2012, there had been 7 Transport Secretaries in 7 years.<\/p>\n

When you are in charge of long-term infrastructure projects, change like that doesn\u2019t always help.<\/p>\n

Rail, in particular, needs the perspective that comes with experience.<\/p>\n

So I am delighted to be back.<\/p>\n

Yet there has been one change since I was last here.<\/p>\n

And that\u2019s to the forum itself.<\/p>\n

No longer the Derby and Derbyshire Rail Forum.<\/p>\n

But now the East Midlands Rail Forum.<\/p>\n

To me, that\u2019s a statement of intent.<\/p>\n

Since the forum was established in 1993 it has grown in numbers, stature and influence.<\/p>\n

Now it\u2019s the largest cluster of rail firms in the world<\/p>\n

And the new name reflects the forum\u2019s ambition as it increasingly represents firms across our whole region.<\/p>\n

\n
\"SoS<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n

Growth in the East Midlands<\/h2>\n

In June, the Chancellor visited the premises of a member of this forum.<\/p>\n

Garrandale \u2013 a great rail engineering firm.<\/p>\n

In his speech then, he said that five years ago our country was on the brink.<\/p>\n

We were borrowing \u00a31 in every \u00a34 that we spent.<\/p>\n

Midlands businesses were going under at a rate of over a hundred every day.<\/p>\n

And nearly half a million people in the Midlands were looking for work.<\/p>\n

If we were to save our economy, we had to act.<\/p>\n

And so we took some tough decisions.<\/p>\n

We cut spending.<\/p>\n

Cut corporation tax.<\/p>\n

And cut red tape.<\/p>\n

Five years on, our economy is growing strongly again, nationally and locally.<\/p>\n

The East Midlands is now home to 20,000 more businesses than in 2010.<\/p>\n

There are more people in work here than at any time since 1992.<\/p>\n

And on Wednesday the Chancellor reported that the Midlands is creating jobs at a rate three times faster than London and the south east.<\/p>\n

So our region is making great progress.<\/p>\n

Rail investment<\/h2>\n

And one of the things giving this region its edge is its great concentration of rail expertise.<\/p>\n

Rail supply firms in this region are benefiting as we put more money into our rail sector than at any time since the Victorian era.<\/p>\n

Since the forum was established in 1993, passenger numbers have more than doubled.<\/p>\n

Rail freight is up 75%.<\/p>\n

The government is investing more than \u00a338 billion in the rail network.<\/p>\n

And following Wednesday\u2019s spending review transport capital spending in this Parliament will increase by 50% to a total of \u00a361 billion; the biggest increase in a generation.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s a great settlement for transport.<\/p>\n

And it\u2019s a great opportunity for the rail supply chain.<\/p>\n

Hendy report<\/h2>\n

But after so many years in which rail was underfunded, investment on this scale was never going to be easy.<\/p>\n

In June, I announced that Network Rail\u2019s performance on the electrification of the TransPennine and Midland Main Lines had not been good enough.<\/p>\n

I asked Sir Peter Hendy to review Network Rail\u2019s programme of works.<\/p>\n

And alongside the spending review, Sir Peter set out his plans to put its programme back on track.<\/p>\n

I can say today that I have accepted Sir Peter\u2019s plan.<\/p>\n

It reaffirms our commitment to our railways.<\/p>\n

And shows how we will achieve our aim of transforming rail journeys for passengers.<\/p>\n

So we are pressing ahead with Crossrail.<\/p>\n

HS2.<\/p>\n

Thameslink.<\/p>\n

New InterCity Express trains on the East Coast and Great Western mainlines.<\/p>\n

North West and Yorkshire train lengthening.<\/p>\n

East-West Rail.<\/p>\n

Cornwall re-signalling.<\/p>\n

Wessex and Waterloo capacity enhancements.<\/p>\n

West Anglia main line capacity improvements.<\/p>\n

And the electrification and enhancement of the Great Western, Northern Hub, TransPennine, and Midland main lines. <\/p>\n

No infrastructure projects have been cancelled.<\/p>\n

But the report shows that the need for tough decisions is not yet over.<\/p>\n

Some projects will take longer and cost more than originally planned.<\/p>\n

As we put Network Rail\u2019s focus firmly on its core task of delivery, some of that extra cost will be covered by Network Rail asset sales and new efficiencies.<\/p>\n

Skills<\/h2>\n

But innovation and efficiency isn\u2019t the only challenge for the rail supply chain.<\/p>\n

We are also facing a shortage of skills.<\/p>\n

Our country needs more rail workers of all kinds.<\/p>\n

More civil engineers.<\/p>\n

Mechanical engineers.<\/p>\n

Construction workers.<\/p>\n

Surveyors.<\/p>\n

Signallers.<\/p>\n

And even drivers.<\/p>\n

In all, we need 10,000 new engineers to improve the existing network, while HS2 alone will create 25,000 jobs during construction and 3000 jobs in operation.<\/p>\n

Yet as things stand today, parts of the industry will lose half their staff to retirement within 15 years.<\/p>\n

With our plans for investment, that\u2019s unsustainable.<\/p>\n

So the government is addressing this skills challenge through new training institutions, such as the flagship National Training Academy for Rail in Northampton.<\/p>\n

Through creating 3 million new apprentices in this Parliament.<\/p>\n

And through the appointment of Terry Morgan, the Chairman of Crossrail, to develop a transport skills strategy.<\/p>\n

But, ultimately, we need the rail industry to invest in skills in new staff and new training.<\/p>\n

Because although government can make plans and provide some of the funding, it will be the rail industry who will deliver for the country.<\/p>\n

Midlands Engine for Growth<\/h2>\n

But while we are working to secure our economy and to transform our transport we have a clear principle.<\/p>\n

Wherever possible, decisions about planning, spending and services should be taken by the people who will be most affected by those decisions.<\/p>\n

For that, we need to devolve power from London and out to the regions.<\/p>\n

So last month I was pleased by the launch of the newly-strengthened Midlands Connect Partnership <\/p>\n

Midlands Connect is a collaboration between the Midlands\u2019 Local Enterprise Partnerships and local authorities.<\/p>\n

Over the months ahead Midlands Connect will work with HS2 Ltd, with Network Rail, and with Highways England to develop investment plans for the Midlands.<\/p>\n

They will look at maximising the economic growth from HS2, reducing journey times between our towns and cities, and making better connections to international gateways.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s no better way to make the case for investment than for it to be informed by local people.<\/p>\n

Local businesses.<\/p>\n

Local representatives.<\/p>\n

And that is how we will make the Midlands an engine for growth.<\/p>\n

Conclusion<\/h2>\n

So in conclusion, it\u2019s great to be back.<\/p>\n

As Transport Secretary.<\/p>\n

At this event.<\/p>\n

And on home turf.<\/p>\n

For our nation\u2019s railways, these are rare days.<\/p>\n

Customer numbers have never been higher.<\/p>\n

Investment has never been higher.<\/p>\n

Expectations have never been higher.<\/p>\n

And so it\u2019s an opportunity.<\/p>\n

But also a challenge.<\/p>\n

I said at the beginning that rail needs the perspective that comes with experience.<\/p>\n

Looking around this room I can see 176 years of rail experience and the expertise to match.<\/p>\n

So I\u2019m confident that we will succeed as we build the rail network our country deserves. <\/p>\n

Thank you.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

As the government invests more in rail than for generations, East Midlands rail firms are helping make the region an engine for growth.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[13],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/64694"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=64694"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/64694\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=64694"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=64694"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=64694"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}