Plans for a landmark bill to reform and revive Britain’s railways, including setting up a powerful passenger watchdog to hold train operators to account, have been unveiled today by the government.
Rewired: East Croydon is one of the busiest stations in the south-east, but promised improvement works have been stalled by a decade of dither, delay and disinvestment
The reforms will “will sweep away decades of failure, creating a Great British Railways passengers can rely on”, transport secretary Heidi Alexander promised today.
According to the Department for Transport, “This once in a generation overhaul will establish Great British Railways, a new body bringing track and train together, delivering reliable services for passengers and catalysing growth across the country.”
Outlined in a consultation released today, the plans will “smash a broken rail system, put passengers at the forefront of all decisions made on the railways, and end major failure and disruptions like the 2018 timetabling crisis”, a statement issued from Whitehall said.
Talking about “rewiring the railways” – a curious choice of language – Alexander and the Labour government say that they want to put “an end to outdated and inefficient processes which have resulted in poor performance, timetable chaos and complex fares and ticketing”.
And they say: “It will also rightly be giving devolved leaders more of a say on the services that directly impact their towns and cities, working together to integrate transport, making it simpler to travel and attracting more people to our railways.”
The new watchdog will be tasked with ensuring Great British Railways addresses the issues that consistently rank highest in passenger complaints, rooting out the problems that cause poor journeys, ensuring passengers are given clear information when they travel and help tackle the maze of confusing rail fares and tickets passengers have to navigate.
Where poor passenger experiences are identified, the DfT says, the new watchdog will be able to refer this to the railway regulator for enforcement action.
And they say, “One of Great British Railways’ guiding principles will be to work closely with the private sector to create jobs and drive investment and innovation.”
This will include investing billions in the private sector supply chain so that improvements to the network are more coordinated. “A long-term rail strategy will give industry certainty on what they can expect, including a long-term plan for rolling stock.”
Heidi in a hurry: transport secretary Alexander is promising sweeping reform
Heidi Alexander, the Secretary of State for Transport, said: “Passengers have put up with broken railways for far too long. This landmark reform will sweep away decades of failure, creating a Great British Railways passengers can rely on.
“We’re giving passengers a powerful voice with a new watchdog dedicated to addressing their biggest concerns, building railways people can trust, improving our services and boosting the economy in the process – the priority in our Plan for Change.”
And Laura Shoaf, the chair of Shadow Great British Railways, said: “The plans set out today will mean a better railway for everyone that uses it, allowing industry to work closer together, putting passengers and customers first and providing better value for money for taxpayers.”
The proposals have been welcomed by some senior figures in regional government, such as Andy Burnham, the Mayor of Greater Manchester, who said, “This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to overhaul how the railways are run – creating a service that puts passengers first, with more reliable trains and simpler fares and tickets.”
Burnham’s Greater Manchester authority is already moving to revive and enhance the public transport network in the city, “moving from a fragmented system to one that is more accountable to our residents”, Burnham said.
“We look forward to helping shape the bill, with a statutory role for Mayors and city-regions in making the railways work for everyone.”
Commenting on publication of the government’s plans, Michael Roberts, chief executive of London TravelWatch, said: “Today’s consultation is another step closer towards Great British Railways becoming a reality and creating a guiding mind which nationally could help deliver better train services. The proposals rightly recognise the positives which devolved decision-making can bring as part of that.
“We will want to see the Mayor of London, the London Assembly and London TravelWatch continue to lead and champion the interests of people who use transport in and around the capital.”
The consultation begins today and will last for eight weeks.
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