Regional leaders welcome bid to establish Great British Railways watchdog

Political and civic leaders have welcomed plans for a landmark Bill to rewire Britain’s railways, including setting up a powerful passenger watchdog to give passengers a voice and hold train operators to account.

Laura Shoaf, Chair of Shadow Great British Railways, and the chief executive of the West Midlands Combined Authority, having previously been MD of Transport for West Midlands, said: “GBR will fundamentally change our railways, delivering growth, connections and opportunities across the country.

“The plans set out today (February 18) 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.”

Greater Manchester Mayor, Andy Burnham, described the move as a “once in a generation overhaul”.

The Bill will establish Great British Railways (GBR), a new body bringing track and train together, delivering reliable services for passengers and catalysing growth across the country.

Outlined in a consultation launched today, the plans are designed to smash a broken rail system, put passengers at the forefront of all decisions made on the railways, ending major failure and disruptions like the 2018 timetabling crisis.

Through this consultation the Government will be working with industry to rewire the railways and unite train and track, putting an end to outdated and inefficient processes which have resulted in poor performance, timetable chaos and complex fares and ticketing.

It will also 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 independent watchdog will be tasked with ensuring GBR 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.

It will hold operators to account on behalf of passengers and arbitrate where passengers are not satisfied about the handling of a complaint.

Working with the Transport Secretary and GBR, it will also be given the powers to set clear standards for passengers on things like journey information and assistance, investigate persistent problems, and publish reports on poor service. Where poor passenger experiences are identified, it will be able to refer this to the railway regulator for enforcement action.

The Government says growth is at the heart of its missions and the key priority in the Plan for Change, which is why one of GBR’s guiding principles will be to work closely with the private sector to create jobs and drive investment and innovation.

This includes investing billions of pounds in the private sector supply chain, so that improvements to the network are more coordinated, giving longer term assurance to businesses. A long term rail strategy will give industry certainty on what they can expect, including a long term plan for rolling stock.

Open access services will continue having a place on the network where they encourage growth, improve connectivity and provide more choice for passengers, as long as these benefits are not outweighed by costs to the taxpayer and impacts to performance.

Secretary of State for Transport, Heidi Alexander, 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.”

The plans are the next step in establishing GBR, which will end years of fragmentation by bringing track and train together in a unified, simplified railway.

The consultation also looks more widely at far-reaching reforms and how GBR will interact with the industry to effectively implement its plans to relentlessly focus on driving up standards, boosting the economy and ensuring railways deliver the services passengers deserve.

Andy Burnham 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.

“In Greater Manchester things are already changing.  We’re working in partnership with the Government and the rail industry on plans for the next phase of the Bee Network, to join-up our trains, buses, trams, and active travel routes, moving from a fragmented system to one that is more accountable to our residents.

“We look forward to helping shape the Bill, with a statutory role for Mayors and city regions in making the railways work for everyone.”

Steve Rotheram, Mayor of the Liverpool City Region, said: “For decades, passengers across the country have had to put up with unreliable services, spiralling fares, and a rail system that often prioritises profits over people. Today’s announcement is an important step towards creating a rail network that works for everyone – no matter where they live.

“In the Liverpool City Region, we’ve shown that when decisions are made closer to home, they work better for local people. We’ve introduced the country’s first publicly owned trains in a generation and kept fares down during a cost-of-living crisis But passengers everywhere deserve better.

“I welcome these reforms and look forward to working with government and industry to deliver a rail system that puts passengers first, drives growth, and connects communities across the country.”

The Government is already working to deliver reforms ahead of Great British Railways being set up, including simplifying fares and modernising ticketing. This includes the roll-out of Pay As You Go ticketing to give passengers the ability to travel more flexibly, and working with devolved leaders on plans for further expansion in Greater Manchester and the West Midlands.

In addition to this, the flagship Public Ownership Act, which achieved Royal Assent last year, will improve reliability and support the Government’s number one priority of boosting economic growth by encouraging more people to use the railway. This will also save taxpayers up to £150m a year that will be invested back into the railways, rather than the pockets of private shareholders, said the Government.

The consultation starts today and will last for eight weeks.