The
Labour
manifesto


has
been
published
today,
and
it
promises
that
if
the
party
is
elected
the
new
government
will
set
up
a
National
Infrastructure
and
Service
Transformation
Authority.

It
says
this
authority
will
combine
existing
bodies,
‘set
strategic
infrastructure
priorities’
and
‘oversee’
project
designs,
scope
and
completion.
Labour
is
pledging
to
‘forge
ahead
with
new
roads,
railways,
reservoirs,
and
other
nationally
significant
infrastructure’.

Basic
reforms
of
the
railway
industry
are
also
set
out.
They
include
returning
most
of
the
passenger
railway
to
public
control
under
Great
British
Railways,
‘as
contracts
with
existing
operators
expire
or
are
broken
through
a
failure
to
deliver’.

Shadow
transport
secretary
Louise
Haigh


said
last
night
that
if
her
party
came
to
power
next
month,
she
would
be
asking
’for
early
advice’
about
whether
Avanti
West
Coast
had
‘already
breached’
its
contract
and
whether
she
would
be
able
to
end
that
contract
earlier
than
the
next
break
point,
which
would
occur
in
October
2026.

Open
access
services,
which
the
manifesto
describes
as
‘an
important
part
of
the
rail
system’,
will
continue.

Mayors
will
have
a
part
in
designing
the
services
in
their
areas,
while
there
will
be
a
duty
to
promote
and
increase
rail
freight.

A
‘tough
new
passenger
watchdog’
will
be
formed,
as
predicted
in
Labour’s
earlier
document,
Getting
Britain
moving,
which
was
published
in
April.