Chapter 12: Capacity, Timetabling and Sustainability

Of the three ‘pillars of sustainability’, railways’ initial focus was on the economic pillar, having been developed in the nineteenth century to enable economic development and having struggled in the mid-twentieth century to maintain their economic sustainability in the face of competition from road and air transport. From the 1960s onwards, increased focus on and concern about social and environmental sustainability, together with rail’s comparatively high capacity and low environmental impact, has led to renewed interest in the role of rail in passenger and freight transport. Providing the necessary railway system capacity to enable a significant modal shift from air and (especially) road transport requires major investment, and there is a trade-off between the economic sustainability of these investments and the resulting social and environmental sustainability benefits. However, the railways should also benefit from the increased revenue resulting from improved services and could be supported by additional financial incentives to encourage modal shift. Similarly, there are different philosophies of and approaches to timetable planning and development, ranging from making the most economically sustainable use of resources to the provision of high-frequency, integrated ‘clockface’ timetables, providing passengers and freight users with an attractive range of travel and transport opportunities. Future sustainability, capacity, timetabling and other aspirations are set out in the Rail Safety and Standards Board’s Operational Philosophy for the GB Mainline Railway: these aspirations were developed in the context of Britain’s heavy rail system but are also more generally applicable.