What are the wider economic benefits of rail travel to urban centres?

Background

The grow and level up the economy strategic priority is at the heart of the government’s agenda to spread opportunity across the UK. Transport has a crucial role to play, whether it be through improving connectivity across the United Kingdom and growing the economy by enhancing the transport network, on time and on budget. DfT has a number of specific interests in this space, notably our infrastructure projects, Places for Growth and our apprenticeships and skills work.

Next steps

Get in touch with bridgetoresearch@dft.gov.uk

Source

This question was published as part of the set of ARIs in this document:

DFT-Areas of research interest 2023 GOV UK

Related UKRI funded projects


  • Copy of RRUK 2: Universities' Centre for Rail Systems Research

    Railways have a vital role in any 21st century transport policy. No other form of transport could cope with the large numbers of people transported into and around major cities every day by commuter railways and metro sy...

    Funded by: EPSRC

    Lead research organisation: University of Southampton

    Why might this be relevant?

    The project discusses the wider economic benefits of rail travel to urban centres and provides evidence on the positive impact of railways on the economy, energy efficiency, and reliability of transportation.

  • Transport investments and spatial economic performance

    The research is seeking to understand the implications of transport investments for the spatial economy by identifying effects on workers and firms (e.g. productivity, employment, wages). The research will provide the fi...

    Funded by: ESRC

    Lead research organisation: London School of Economics and Political Science

    Why might this be relevant?

    The project aims to understand the implications of transport investments on the spatial economy, including productivity, employment, and wages, which are relevant factors in assessing the wider economic benefits of rail travel to urban centres.

  • Factor 20: reducing CO2 emissions from inland transport by a major modal shift to rail

    The proposed Feasibility Account will explore the premise that, to bring about a significant reduction in UK CO2 emissions from transport by 2050, rail system capacity and use will need to increase by a factor of 10 on c...

    Funded by: EPSRC

    Lead research organisation: University of Southampton

    Why might this be relevant?

    The project explores the feasibility of reducing CO2 emissions from inland transport through a major modal shift to rail, which is a relevant aspect of the wider economic benefits of rail travel to urban centres, although it does not directly address the economic impacts.

  • Revolution Very Light Rail Commercialisation

    Governments have recognised that the continued dependence on the motor vehicle is unsustainable and that modal shift to low and zero-carbon public transport solutions, both for passengers and freight, is essential if leg...

    Funded by: Innovate UK

    Lead research organisation: TDI GROUP LIMITED

  • Dynamic Capacity Management

    People like to travel by train. The railway network delivers double the number of passenger journeys and passenger kilometres it did 20 years ago, growth which has outperformed external drivers such as population growth....

    Funded by: Innovate UK

    Lead research organisation: ESOTERIX SYSTEMS LIMITED

  • The University of Nottingham and Resonate Group Limited

    To develop a predictive model of the rail network which focuses on forecast outcomes across a range of business and customer service objectives. To develop advanced statistical analysis and modelling/simulation technique...

    Funded by: Innovate UK

    Lead research organisation: UNIVERSITY OF NOTTINGHAM

  • Waybeam Track System

    Waybeam is an engineering technology in the rail sector and a business-focused attempt to change current thinking which applies heavy rail technology and standards to all non-light rail projects, regardless of suitabilit...

    Funded by: Innovate UK

    Lead research organisation: CARPET TRACK LIMITED

  • Transportation and the socio-spatial dimensions of travel to work flows

    Numerous research studies use commuting data, collected through the Census of Population, to understand social, economic and environmental challenges in the UK. This commuting data has been used to understand patterns; a...

    Funded by: ESRC

    Lead research organisation: University of Manchester

  • Demand-based Urban Bus Integrated with Rail And Health (DUBIRAH)

    A citizen rarely finds bus, rail and/or health service provisions seamlessly aligned: scheduled bus services do not provide sufficiently direct door-to-door journeys, e.g. between railway stations and final destinations,...

    Funded by: Innovate UK

    Lead research organisation: ESOTERIX SYSTEMS LIMITED

  • AEGIS

    With the world pushing towards a global carbon neutral society, rail travel will need to become a staple part of people's daily commutes. For this to ever to come to fruition, improvements to rail travel must be made and...

    Funded by: Innovate UK

    Lead research organisation: INCREMENTAL SOLUTIONS LTD