Regional and Urban Rail banner image

Regional and Urban Rail

Our urban and regional rail networks are key to sustaining city centre economies, whilst rail also provides the wider connectivity that city regions need.

Rail reform

Reform of the railways must build on the success of the devolution of rail powers which has already taken place, with city regions fully involved in how rail reform plans unfold.

Read more

Rail Cities UK

Rail has been critical in the development of our cities. If cities are to achieve their potential – and do so in an inclusive and sustainable way – then we need a vision for urban rail which will support that.

Read the report

Resources for this topic

View documents, reports and other material.

Inside track - report cover

Report

Inside track - The state of transport 2025

This report looks at travel trends and the local economies of city regions, and explores how devolution is beginning to deliver for urban areas. It examines how trends have changed over time and how these trends have played out across different modes of transport.
Read more Download file
Dream ticket report cover

Report

Dream ticket? The challenges and opportunities of delivering smart ticketing in the city regions

There are multiple obstacles to giving public transport users in the city regions a London-style smart and simple ticketing system. This report suggests a new approach is needed, and recommends more leadership from Government, better resourcing of the transition, and more collaboration between all the key players.
Read more Download file
The Good Like report cover

Report

The Good Life: The role of transport in shaping a new and sustainable era for suburbs

We are a nation of suburbanites. However, the ubiquity of suburban living is often not reflected in transport policy. And there can be no decarbonisation of transport without specific measures to decarbonise transport in the suburbs. This report presents four foundations of suburbs for a new era – one which offers all suburbanites the promise of the ‘Good Life’ whilst addressing the climate crisis.
Read more Download file
What next for urban transport? visual

Report

What next for urban transport?

This report - published to coincide with the 2019 Autumn Party Conferences - identifies four urban transport challenges and four solutions needed to overcome them.

It also details what transport authorities need from Government to bring about these changes. 

Read more Download file
Number crunch 2019 cover

Report

Number crunch 2019: Urban transport trends in changing times

This is the second in our Number crunch report series and provides an updated overview of the key trends over the last ten years, as well as taking a look at what the new and most recent data is telling us.

We are living in rapidly changing times. Big shifts are taking place in urban transport trends.

Read more Download file
Policy Futures for urban transport

Report

Policy futures for urban transport

The latest edition of Policy futures for urban transport emphasises how a new deal on funding and powers is essential to keep the UK's cities moving forward.

The report sets out the 10 key policy changes that are needed to make cities healthier, fairer and more prosperous.

Read more Download file
Rail Cities UK

Report

Rail Cities UK: Our vision for their future

Significant rail expansion is the 'only viable option' to help UK cities achieve their ambitions on economic growth and meeting housing demand, whilst also creating attractive urban centres with less road traffic and better air quality.

Read more Download file
The Transformational benefits of investing in regional rail

Report

The Transformational Benefits of Investing in Regional Rail

Regional rail services carry more than three times the numbers of passengers than the much higher profile long distance (Inter-City) services. As the UK’s city regions increasingly develop their service sector economies and concentrate employment in city centres, rail enables large numbers of people to be moved efficiently and effectively into these ever more congested places.

Read more Download file
Policy Futures

Report

Policy Futures

Policy futures for urban transport sets out how, with more focused governance in place, the city regions are delivering major investment programmes including on public transport, highways and active travel, and smart ticketing. The report says that - with the right national policy framework - further and faster progress can be made, including:

Read more Download file
Rail Devolution Works

Report

Rail Devolution Works

Our ‘Rail Devolution Works’ report argues that further rail devolution will enable other regions and areas to also radically transform rail services in a way that supports economic growth at the same time as improving the journey experience for passengers.

Read more Download file
Horizon Scan

Report

Horizon scan of implications of technological and social change

This report aims to provide decision makers with a guide to the implications for urban transport of transformative social and technological change and how they can best respond. 

The report (which was produced in collaboration with Arup Foresight) identifies four key overarching trends: 

Read more Download file
Destination Growth: The Case for Britain's Regional Railways cover

Report

Destination Growth: the case for Britain's regional railways

This report sets out the success of regional rail over the past decade and a half despite limited investment when compared to other rail sectors. The report then goes on to develop two hypothetical scenarios to demonstrate how investment in regional rail could deliver even greater benefits, significantly reducing subsidy and growing the benefits delivered to our city region economies. 

Read more Download file
A heavy load to bear? cover

Report

A heavy load to bear - towards a fairer allocation of rail industry costs for regional rail

This report shows how regional rail is allocated a disproportionate share of the railways' overall costs which distorts the wider debate about its value for money. The report sets out how an alternative fairer, more defensible and rational system would halve regional rail's share of government support.

Read more Download file
Options for Regional Rail

Report

Options for Regional Rail - A review of ways to improve Britain's regional rail services

A report for pteg by Transport for Quality of Life intended to help widen the scope of debate about regional rail by considering whether more thoroughgoing governance changes might offer greater benefits and whether these benefits are worth the potential risks and costs associated with deeper reform.

Read more Download file
LSTF Monitoring and Evaluation Guidance - Final Report cover

Report

LSTF Monitoring and Evaluation Guidance - Final Report

Building on the work of the Department for Transport, pteg commissioned AECOM to prepare additional guidance for PTEs and other Local Transport Authorities to assist in the monitoring and evaluation of Local Sustainable Transport Fund projects. The guidance provides a practical approach to developing cost effective and affordable monitoring and evaluation programmes.

Read more Download file
PTEs role on rail stations

Report

PTEs role on rail stations

The study was commissioned to identify and review alternative structures of responsibility for railway station sponsorship, stewardship, and service delivery, in the context of potential scope for greater devolvement of responsibility for urban rail to the PTEs.

Read more Download file
Rail cities in the 21st century

Report

Rail Cities in the 21st Century - The Case for Devolution

Modern and efficient rail networks are key to ensuring that city regions can grow in a green and smart way. But to realise the potential of urban rail, remote control by Whitehall needs to be replaced with local control by the city regions themselves. Only then can rail play its part in the fully integrated, responsive public transport networks that the city regions need.

Read more Download file

Report

What light rail can do for cities

This report sets out the case for investing in light rail. It is based on a detailed review of the available evidence held by the promoters of schemes in the UK looking at the benefits that have been delivered so far and how these have been achieved.

Read more Download file
Inside track cover image

Press release

‘Green shoots of growth’ show the way for return to public transport

‘Green shoots of growth’ in the latest transport statistics demonstrate that public transport is continuing its strong return, with growing passenger numbers across bus, rail and light rail modes approaching pre-pandemic levels, according to a new report.
Read more
Tyne and Wear Metro

Press release

Mayors and devolved authorities must be empowered to deliver transformational local rail services in upcoming legislation, report urges

Mayors and devolved authorities must have a central role in the running of local rail services in the forthcoming Rail Reform Bill, to ensure rail complements local plans for growth, housing, skills and the environment, according to a new report.
Read more
Andy Byford

Press release

The biggest job in UK urban transport: TfL Commissioner to speak about leading through a global crisis and towards a green and just recovery

Transport for London Commissioner Andy Byford will be in conversation with Jo Field, Chief Executive of JFG Communications and President of Women in Transport for the seventh in the Urban Transport Next series of events, hosted by Urban Transport Group.
Read more
Press release

Press release

Rail stations investment key to building back better after COVID-19

Investing in rail stations can give a much needed boost to local economies and communities in the aftermath of the coronavirus crisis, according to a new report which highlights the benefits of devolved authorities’ involvement in station transformation.
Read more
Number crunch 2019 cover

Press release

Changing travel habits in UK’s cities revealed in new data report

Fewer commutes per person, reduced car use in major urban centres and rapidly falling bus patronage – these are just some of the transport trends taking place in the UK’s biggest cities and city regions, as identified in the Urban Transport Group’s latest data report.
Read more
Press release

Press release

National Infrastructure Commission is right to make devolved transport funding for cities a key test for Government’s future infrastructure plan

The National Infrastructure Commission’s call for Government to make devolved funding for urban transport to cities a key test of the Government’s forthcoming National Infrastructure Strategy is hugely welcome, says the Urban Transport Group.
Read more
Press release

Press release

Climate advisors’ ‘clear route map’ for tackling transport emissions welcomed by city region transport authorities

The Urban Transport Group - the UK's network of city region transport authorities - has today welcomed the Committee on Climate Change’s new advice for Government to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions to zero by 2050, and specifically its recommendations for the transport sector.
Read more
Merseyrail train

Press release

City region transport authorities call for more local control over rail services

The Urban Transport Group - the UK's network of city region transport authorities - has today called for the Williams Rail Review to give far greater emphasis to the proven success of the devolution of control over regional and urban rail services by making it a cornerstone of wider railway reform.
Read more
Rail Cities UK report

Press release

Rail Cities UK report maps out better future for urban rail

Significant rail expansion is the ‘only viable option’ to help UK cities achieve their ambitions on economic growth and meeting housing demand, whilst also creating attractive urban centres with less road traffic and better air quality. 
Read more
Ben Still

Press release

UTG response to RDG partnership railway launch

Ben Still, Managing Director of the West Yorkshire Combined Authority and board director and lead on rail for the Urban Transport Group, comments on the Rail Delivery Group's ‘In Partnership for Britain’s Prosperity’ announcement.

Read more
Policy Futures

Press release

UK's largest urban transport authorities set out vision for future of transport in the city regions

Following on from the EU referendum, the formation of a new Government and with the start of the party conference season, the Urban Transport Group has set out a vision for how UK transport policy could unfold in a way that will enable the nation’s largest urban areas to deliver inclusive growth in a smart and sustainable way.

Read more

Briefing

Ticket office closures: a UTG position paper

This paper sets out the Urban Transport Group's position on proposals to close ticket offices at railway stations. We are not opposed to improving the way that passenger needs are met by staffing provision at stations, however, we have significant concerns about the current proposals. These are in three areas – the consultation process; the impact on passenger experience; and the interaction with wider goals that city regions have for our people and places.
Read more Download file

Briefing

Briefing on the Transport Bill

A briefing on the Transport Bill announced as part of the Queen's Speech in May 2022, including what we know so far and what the Bill should contain to transform urban transport for the better.

Read more Download file

Briefing

Policy Futures - Seamless public transport

This policy futures paper highlights the growing appetite for giving larger cities outside London more of the benefits that London enjoys on public transport, and brings together the ideas from the other policy futures papers.

Read more Download file

Briefing

Policy Futures - Rail

This Policy Futures paper sets out the changed needed to ensure that modern commuter networks compliment enhanced national and inter-regional services in a way that meets the needs of the city regions.

Read more Download file