THIS Government has shown itself to be adept at regurgitating old announcements and dressing them up as something new.

It is a skill put to use yesterday in the ten year strategy mapped out for our railways.

The investment programme consists of a wish list of schemes, most of which have already been proposed, in the hope that the £33.5bn the Government is prepared to spend is matched by the private sector.

There is much to commend in the proposals. Our railway networks and services lag way behind what we should expect from the fourth richest nation in the world. The measures outlined by the Strategic Rail Authority will, if implemented, go a long way towards giving us the rail services that passengers and freight customers deserve, and which our economy desperately needs.

While we do not doubt the sincerity of the Government's intentions, we do doubt its ability to deliver.

The modernisation of our railways is too important a task to leave to chance. It is too important to rely on the whim of the private sector to do the honourable thing.

To have a genuine chance of attracting sufficient private finance to match the massive level of public investment, the Government needs to restore faith in our railways.

What yesterday's list of proposals lacked was a clear picture of how they would be implemented.

It is now three months since Stephen Byers took the decision to place Railtrack into administration, effectively seizing control of long-term planning from the company and its directors.

But we are still waiting to hear how Mr Byers intends to replace Railtrack.

Faced with such uncertainty, we fully understand the private sector's reluctance to invest in the railways.

What we now need from Mr Byers is a clear picture of what the future direction will be.

Until he can offer assurances and commitment he will never be able to attract private finance.

Without leadership, yesterday's ambitious plans will go no further than the drawing board, and our railways will continue to spiral into decline and decay.