Martin Tugwell joined Transport for the North as Chief Executive on 2 August 2021. In this Insight, he reflects on achievements so far, ahead to the immediate opportunities for the Sub-national Transport Body and sets out his priorities for the organisation.
It’s an exciting time to be leading the Northern agenda.
Never has it been so important to ensure that we secure the investment in our transport infrastructure and services that will unleash our economic potential and deliver a transport system that is sustainable for the long-term.
Our strength comes through having a single voice championing the North. We have a strong, unified voice on issues of regional importance, a voice that can be used by our partners as they develop and deliver their plans for their own area. In this way Transport for the North truly does become more than the sum of our parts, working in an unrivalled collaboration that pushes us on with determination and passion.
I am clear that our focus needs to be on working with our partners and with Government to implement our Strategic Transport Plan for the North.
Our Plan – which is vision-led, evidence-based – sets out the North’s priorities for ensuring that our transport system meets the ambition of our people and businesses.
Only by investing now will we make it easier to connect people and places with services and opportunities; only by investing will we address barriers that exist within our transport system that create inequalities in society; only by investing will we support our business community.
Our continued work as Transport for the North serves to reinforce the message that investment in our transport system not only delivers for the North, but indeed for the rest of the UK. That investment in unleashing our economic potential is fundamental to realising the green economic revolution.
Our prioritised Northern Infrastructure Pipeline, the award-winning Future Travel Scenarios, and the Northern Transport Charter are all designed to help support the implementation of our vision for the North’s transport system.
The Charter is our manifesto for our region, setting out the aims and actions that will enable TfN to bring our Strategic Transport Plan and Investment Programme to life. It focuses on four key areas:
The Charter reflects the need for our transport system to evolve if it is to respond to the challenges we face as a society. And who better to shape that change than the North’s leaders working collaborative as TfN.
Herein lie opportunities for us to deliver that change by harnessing the innovation that exists within our business community and across our network of universities. The North has always been at the forefront of industrial revolutions in the UK and we must once again draw on that spirit and leadership as we look to the future.
Decarbonisation Strategy
Our first ever regional Decarbonisation Strategy, currently out to public consultation and due to be adopted in the autumn, will be an essential part of our commitment to ‘build back greener’. The strategy sets an ambitious goal of near-zero carbon emissions from surface transport by 2045 – sooner than national policy – and sets out a pioneering path that will help address climate change, unleash green economic growth, and transform connectivity.
Later this autumn we expect to see Government publish the long-awaited Integrated Rail Plan. With that confirmed we will be able to proceed at pace with our next business case for Northern Powerhouse Rail. This transformational project will connect our towns and cities like never before, giving confidence to investors, as well as being at the heart of our Decarbonisation Strategy.
I’m a passionate believer in the potential of transport to transform people and places.
It’s not just about getting from A to B to work, for a day out, or to visit family – it’s about the new opportunities we can seek out when our towns and cities are better connected. It’s about the wider potential for green growth, and the chance to level up our region so that future generations are not held back by poor infrastructure. It’s also about addressing inequality and accessibility, and really enabling our region’s people and businesses to go about their daily lives with ease.
As we press forward with these areas of work and the many others – Freight & Logistics Strategy, Stations Strategy, Major Roads Report to name just a few – we will remain steadfast in our focus on delivering the Strategic Transport Plan – our Plan for the North agreed by the North.
And I want Transport for the North to be seen as an organisation that delivers on behalf of the people and businesses of the North, one that helps level up our economy and communities by investing in improved connectivity.
We are uniquely placed to do this – our Board Members represent our whole region; our team has the knowledge and experience that enables to develop practical, affordable and deliverable solutions that meet the needs of the North.
We already have a joint vision for the North. We’ll continue to harness that local knowledge to deliver more opportunities for generations of Northerners, working across our region and with Government to demonstrate why our transport needs must be met.
Our vision is of a thriving North of England, where world-class transport supports sustainable economic growth, excellent quality of life and improved opportunities for our region’s 15 million people.
It’s a compelling vision and serves as a strong foundation upon which to build.
It empowers us to shape the world around us, starting right here, right now.