Value for money
BATH MP Wera Hobhouse asked the Department for Transport for an estimate of the benefit/cost ratio for each new station built and reopened line in each of the last 10 years.
Transport Minister Huw Merriman said:“Benefit Cost Ratios (BCRs) within the economic case are only one element of decision-making on schemes and should be considered alongside the other cases in the five-case business model used in Government (strategic, economic, financial, commercial and management cases). Therefore, we do not routinely make BCRs available.
“In practice, it can take a number of years for long-term demand patterns to emerge for new stations. The DfT and bodies who promote their own schemes have a long standing and established appraisal framework to help scheme promoters forecast passenger demand of new stations and lines.
“We are continuing to monitor our framework and use evaluation to understand the impacts of schemes.”