Government published the Williams-Shapps Plan for Rail on Thursday which pledges to establish a new public body known as Great British Railways that will plan the network, own the infrastructure and set timetables and receive fare revenues.

The organisation will absorb Network Rail and bring together functions currently exercised by the Rail Delivery Group and the Department for Transport, including procurement of new Passenger Service Contracts to run trains. This promises to ‘mark the end of a quarter century of fragmentation’ by improving integration between rail infrastructure and services.

Further measures in the plan include a promise to expand pay as you go journeys outside London, while travel across rail, bus, tram and bike is set to become more seamless in the future through integrated ticketing and timetabling.

In addition it is pledged to strengthen the contribution of the railways to sector decarbonisation, with a comprehensive environment plan set to publish next year while electrification and the use of alternative technologies such as hydrogen and batteries to power trains will be expanded.

Network Rail’s chief executive Andrew Haines said the plan would support delivery of a “reliable, affordable and sustainable railway”, focused on the passenger. “These changes will take time, but I am determined to get to work quickly with the industry and government.”

He added: “The pandemic has created significant challenges for the industry, and that means the changes we have to make are even more urgent. We must attract passengers back, deliver efficiencies and improve the service we provide.”

Transport Focus is set to be reformed under the plan as a ‘passenger champion’. Its chief executive Anthony Smith said: “Passengers will welcome this move towards a more accountable and joined up railway. Ultimately what they will care about is whether rail is the best option for them – if it is reliable, efficient and good value.”

The Campaign for Better Transport also welcomed the plan’s focus on the needs of passengers but chief executive Paul Tuohy said “the devil will be in the detail”. For example “will the very welcome commitment to grow the rail network be backed by proper funding so that disconnected communities can access the opportunities that rail brings”, he questioned.

“If we're to avoid a car led recovery after Covid, with disastrous traffic jams, pollution and communities being left behind, it's more vital than ever that the rail network properly meets people's needs,” he added.

The Association for Consultancy & Engineering’s director of policy Matthew Farrow said the plan provides the rail sector with the opportunity of a “fresh start” following the pandemic, and added that Great British Railways “should enable a joined up strategy with an eye on the longer term, especially vital as we move towards tackling overarching issues such as the decarbonisation of the railway and fare reform”.

But he said: “The elephant in the room is the finances of the network – more than £12Bn has been provided in emergency investment by the Government since the start of the pandemic – and nurturing the emergence of a economically sustainable system which is also attractive to passengers looking for more flexibility than before, will be key.”

The plan will see Great British Railways develop a 30 year strategy for the whole rail system, and the organisation will comprise five regional divisions with budgets and delivery responsibility for operational matters.

Sub national transport body Transport for the North’s interim chief executive Tim Wood said bringing track and train together under the new ‘guiding mind’ and putting passengers first represents a “giant leap”.

But he urged: “This national approach must not be a missed opportunity for further devolution, giving the north’s leaders greater oversight of services and infrastructure investment to deliver more integrated regional networks that work for all.”

Midlands Connect chief executive Maria Machancoses agreed that the changes in the plan are “what the rail industry and its passengers have been waiting for, and if implemented correctly could have huge benefits for travellers”.

However she said: “This centralisation also presents risks – namely that the new structure will be less agile or have a lesser understanding of local issues than the previous franchising model. We must prevent decisions about local services being made centrally.”

Logistics UK said the creation of Great British Railways will help to better embed the needs of freight into decision making. Its director of policy Elizabeth De Jong said: “The Government’s ambition to promote the use of rail freight is a positive step towards putting freight services on an equal footing to passenger services. It is crucial that this ambition is delivered to enable the freight sector to grow and achieve its full potential.”

Also this week, Government has pledged an additional £317M of funding to support the development of the Transpennine Route upgrade, which promises to boost punctuality, reliability and connectivity for passengers between York, Leeds and Manchester.

Meanwhile £69M has been allocated for improvements at Oxford station to upgrade capacity and accommodate new services, such as East West Rail.

(Photograph: Network Rail)

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