Railway and Spatial Strategies in the South East: Can Coordination and Delivery be Achieved?

London remains the economic hub of the UK and its railways play a vital role in linking it with its wide catchment across South East England. But, although some major projects are now in hand, investment in the region's railway system is still far too limited for it to play this role effectively. This reflects several weaknesses: no vision for the future, little effective leadership from government, and instability across the agencies responsible for railway planning and investment. The paper reviews these problems, looking at current policies and plans, considering the strategies and priorities that emerge from these, and drawing out the various barriers to their implementation. Brief comparisons are made with the approach taken in Paris and the Dutch Randstad. The paper concludes with some recommendations for action. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]