George Osborne's plan for a northern Oyster card given short shrift
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Version 0 of 1. George Osborne’s plan to ape London’s smart ticketing system in the north of England has been dismissed as an out-of-date gimmick which will do nothing to improve the creaking and overcrowded rail network in the region. Delivering his budget two weeks after electrification work on the crucial TransPennine route was put on ice, prompting claims his “northern powerhouse” had turned into a “northern powercut”, the chancellor said the introduction of “Oyster-style smart and integrated ticketing” across bus, tram, metro and rail services throughout the region was a “top priority”. But the plan for what has been dubbed the “Noyster card” was dismissed by key players in the north of England in the absence of new, concrete pledges on transport infrastructure. Chris Hearld, chairman for accountancy firm KPMG in the north, said: “It was incredibly disappointing that no further announcements were made regarding investments in our regional transport infrastructure. While the introduction of an Oyster card system across the North is a nice gesture in principal, it will do absolutely nothing to alleviate the lack of capacity and very little to improve the connectivity on our region’s ever-crumbling rail network.” Ed Cox, director of the IPPR North thinktank, tweeted: “We don’t want London’s old fashioned Oyster card - let’s go straight to #contactlessNorth.” Earlier this year he co-wrote a report suggesting passengers using a joined-up northern English transport network ought to be able to pay with their contactless debit cards, as is already possible in London and the Netherlands. Christian Spence, head of research and policy at Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce, welcomed the Noyster card, but urged further investment: “Sitting alongside a new roads fund to be paid for by road tax income, it is good to see greater commitment to this often forgotten aspect of infrastructure, but we must see progress on the future plans for east-west rail in the north if this grand ambition of a northern powerhouse is to be met,” he said. Meanwhile the Campaign for Better Transport (CBT) noted that committed investment in rail schemes connected with the Northern Powerhouse are currently less than 25 per cent of the £13bn that the Department for Communities and Local Government has claimed. Martin Abrams, the CBT’s public transport campaigner said: “The Northern Powerhouse is at risk of completely unraveling. Key rail projects have been shelved and other much need investments are under pressure. The Budget has not gone anywhere near far enough in rebalancing the economy and supporting northern cities. He now needs to take urgent action if he’s to stop the whole initiative sinking into the sand.” At prime minister’s questions on Wednesday, David Cameron insisted the government remained “absolutely committed” to pushing ahead with the electrification of the TransPennine line. Asked by Stalybridge and Hyde MP Jonathan Reynolds if the project was going ahead, Cameron said: “I can certainly commit to that. This is a pause, not a stop, and we are absolutely committed to making sure this goes ahead.” But he didn’t give a date or any indication when the pause would be lifted. Justin Madders, MP for Ellesmere Port and Neston, was another Labour MP to barrack the prime minister. He said: “I was surprised to learn in response to questions from myself and others that the Government doesn’t actually know where the northern powerhouse is. “So given the recent cancellation or pausing of transport projects in the North, is it not in fact the case that the only place where a northern powerhouse can be found is in the Prime Minister’s imagination?” Cameron replied: “The truth is the Labour Party ignored the North for years and they cannot bear the fact that it’s a Conservative Prime Minister and a Conservative Chancellor, sitting for a seat in the north-west, that is putting these issues firmly on the agenda and funding them.” Other transport measures for the north of England mentioned in the budget include: |