Rail industry ‘placed its own concerns ahead of serving its passengers’ says council leader

A three-month rail inquiry has published its findings this morning, stating that Network Rail, Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR), Northern, the Department for Transport (DfT), and the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) all made mistakes which contributed to the collapse of services, particularly on the GTR and Northern routes.

The inquiry, conducted by the ORR, looked into the May timetable changes and the major disruption it caused, especially across the North. The inquiry has found that there is an apparent gap in industry responsibility and accountability for managing systemic risks, and that needs to change.

Responding to the Office of Rail and Road report into the May rail timetable disruption, Cllr Judith Blake, Leader of Leeds City Council and member of the West Yorkshire Combined Authority, said: “This report confirms what I have been saying since the disruption began – that the industry placed its own concerns ahead of serving its passengers. This is a systemic problem, not an isolated case.
“While this summer’s disruption was an extreme example, rail passengers across the North have long endured service characterised by delays and trains with too few carriages leaving people on platforms. The management of track and trains and the historic underinvestment in infrastructure all play a part.

“We need to create a rail system for the North of England, accountable to the North, which puts passengers first and that is what my review with the Rail Minister will address.”

Other key findings of the inquiry included the System Operator (SO) function within Network Rail  being in the best position to understand and manage the risks, but not taking sufficient action, especially in the critical period of autumn 2017.

It said that neither GTR nor Northern were properly aware of or prepared for the problems in delivering the timetable and they did not do enough to provide accurate information to passengers when disruption occurred.

The inquiry found that while both DfT and ORR were responsible for overseeing aspects of the industry, neither sufficiently questioned assurances they received from the industry about the risk of disruption.

Barry White, Chief Executive of Transport for the North, said: “The interim findings of this Glaister Review clearly highlight that there is a real need for radical change in the way the rail industry operates. Fundamentally, as our members have said from the outset, changes are needed so we can be sure passenger’s interests are put front and centre of every decision made.

“The Report’s summary highlights the Rail Delivery Group’s statement that ‘the timetable is our promise to passengers’. This summer, in the North of England, and elsewhere, that promise was broken. That is unacceptable. It was passengers who suffered and that must not be allowed to happen again.”

White said he recognised that people don’t want to hear about endless reviews, but want action, and added: “Throughout this Summer we have worked tirelessly to ensure the train operating companies stabilise services in the North and with some success – and we will continue to do so. What passengers need above all is a reliable train service, one they can depend on – and that’s where our immediate focus has been.”

:::

Meanwhile, the government has also this morning announced a ‘sweeping review’ to transform Britain’s railways.

Transport Secretary Chris Grayling has announced the latest review and it will be led by independent chair Keith Williams, the former British Airways chief executive and deputy chairman of John Lewis Partnership. The panel membership will include Roger Marsh, who chairs the body representing the 11 local enterprise partnerships in the north of England is the chair of Leeds City Region LEP. He will bring his expert knowledge and experience of business and transport needs across the north of the country.

The government said that the review  would build on the government’s franchising strategy, bringing track and train closer together to reduce disruption and improve accountability, and considering regional partnerships and how innovation could be used to improve services and value for money for passengers.

Williams will be supported by an external panel and will report next year. The government will publish a white paper on the review’s recommendations, with the implementation of reforms planned to start from 2020.

The panel will consider all parts of the rail industry, from the current franchising system and industry structures, accountability, and value for money for passengers and taxpayers.

Transport Secretary Chris Grayling said: “Privatisation has delivered huge benefits of passengers on Britain’s railways — doubling passenger journeys and bringing in billions of private investment.

“But it is clear that the structure we inherited is no longer fit to meet today’s challenges and cope with increasing customer demand. Following the disruption this summer we took immediate action to improve services and ensure the industry compensated passengers.

“We’ve been clear that the railway needs reform to prioritise its passengers, and we have set out plans for closer partnerships between operators of track and train, including on the LNER and South Eastern networks.

“But as part of our vision for the future of mobility, we need to go further and more quickly, to get the best from the public and private sectors and deliver the railway we need for the 21st century. It is vital that this review leaves no stone unturned and makes bold recommendations for the future.”