E-Rail

We're delighted to see passenger services have returned after 60 years on the Northumberland Line. This is a very special project for many reasons. One of those is because it's the first time our unique, groundbreaking land value capture (LVC) model has been used to help fund part of the re-opening of a UK rail line. We're very proud of this and we would like to congratulate everyone involved in this transformational #northumberlandline project. We look forward to continuing to help more projects like this in the future. Northumberland County Council, Northern, Morgan Sindall Infrastructure, Department for Transport (DfT), United Kingdom, Network Rail, Transport for the North, Nexus, North Tyneside Council, The North East Combined Authority, Newcastle City Council, SLC Rail, AECOM, SLC Property , Cadenza Transport Consulting Ltd

Witney Oxford Transport Group has a strategic vision to provide a new, frequent and sustainable rail connection between the west of the county and Oxford, and is currently campaigning for the further development and delivery of the project. ▶️ This latest video from Witney Oxford Transport and Charlie Maynard sets out further the strategic vision. https://lnkd.in/ezXHgh8z 🛤️ We look forward to continuing to work with the Witney Oxford Transport Group and Oxfordshire County Council to secure landowner contributions through Land Value Capture as an important source of funding for the project. 

The government is currently consulting on proposed planning and housing policy reforms aimed at accelerating housebuilding. Among the proposed changes is an expansion of compulsory purchase order (CPO) powers, which would allow local authorities to force landowners to sell green belt land if it could support new housing developments. While this approach aims to address the housing shortage, E-Rail’s George Hazel , explains how this may overlook a more sustainable alternative. 

In this article, George Hazel, Director of E-Rail, examines how E-Rail can help the new government deliver its transport aims and ambitions. 

Land Value Capture (LVC) can make a substantial impact in funding infrastructure projects, which was recognised recently at a Transport Select Committee meeting.  ⬇️ Our LVC has helped to fund the Northumberland Line and is adaptable and can be used for individual stations, or large new rail corridors such as East West Rail, where LVC could potentially support funding the future project stages between Oxford, Bedford and Cambridge. Here's what others have said: Rob Hamilton said: “It has been a pleasure to work with E-Rail, who successfully made the case for and negotiated Land Value Capture agreements here in the North East – putting in place a vital part of the overall funding package for the new Northumberland Line rail link.” Stephen Joseph said: "The land value capture methodology promoted by the E-Rail consortium has already shown its practicality in part funding the reopening of the Northumberland line to Ashington. As someone who has been deeply involved in promoting public transport over many years, I believe this approach has wide applicability to other public transport schemes in the UK and brings long-held ambitions to reality." Get in touch with us if you are working on a transport project and want to know more.

What does national lobby group Railfuture in Great Britain think of what we do to help fund rail projects? ⬇️ Roger Blake from Railfuture said: "We welcome the development of the Land Value Capture model so successfully pioneered in supporting the Northumberland Line project, through recycling uplifted value in new rail-served development into helping delivery of the project. “Through its own Fighting Fund Railfuture has been keen to help replicate the model elsewhere by assisting local rail development campaign groups wishing to improve the prospects of success for their schemes. This has been through match-funding assistance with commissioning early studies into the potential for Land Value Capture to make a meaningful contribution to rail scheme costs. “Sitting outside the conventional framework of developer contributions through Community Infrastructure Levy and Section 106 planning agreements, a preliminary study in Oxfordshire for example has demonstrated the impressive scale of potential contribution from this pioneering Land Value Capture financing model towards a brand new rail link. "Elsewhere there is keen interest in applying a similar innovative approach to integrating the planning and financing of new public transport infrastructure with long-term development, spreading the learning from Northumberland whether to Fife, Kent, East Sussex, or northern Devon. Railfuture sees distinct advantages in levering third-party contributions to new public transport infrastructure through Land Value Capture, thereby reducing the scale of calls on the public purse and accelerating scheme delivery."

Our work was a hot topic at last week’s Transport Select Committee…. ⬇️ ➡️E-Rail remains busy supporting transport authorities across the UK to secure landowner contributions, through Land Value Capture (LVC), towards funding important new railway stations and schemes. Therefore, we were pleased for the rail industry endorsement, and recognition of the positive impact our LVC methodology has had to help fund the Northumberland Line, as highlighted by Rail Minister, Huw Merriman at the Transport Select Committee on the 6th March. ➡️Our method is adaptable and can be used for individual stations, or large new rail corridors such as East West Rail, where LVC could potentially support funding the future project stages between Oxford, Bedford and Cambridge. ➡️With E-Rail, control remains with the public sector proponent and the independence of planning and transport processes are protected. Our method works across all levels of government in the UK including unitary, non-unitary, and regional authorities.