Great British Railways: for the passenger

Thursday, 20 May 2021 00:01

Williams-Shapps Plan for Rail to reform Britain’s railways and launch new era for passengers Biggest change in 25 years sees creation of new public body Great British Railways – a single, familiar brand with united, accountable leadership Simpler, modern fares delivered starting with new flexible season tickets on sale from 21 June, and a new Great British Railways website for all tickets and clearer compensation Reforms support delivery of...Request free trial

Williams-Shapps Plan for Rail to reform Britain’s railways and launch new era for passengers
Biggest change in 25 years sees creation of new public body Great British Railways – a single, familiar brand with united, accountable leadership
Simpler, modern fares delivered starting with new flexible season tickets on sale from 21 June, and a new Great British Railways website for all tickets and clearer compensation
Reforms support delivery of financially sustainable railway as country recovers from Covid-19, with new contracts focused on punctuality and improved efficiency making it easier and cheaper to plan maintenance, renewal and upgrades

A quarter-century of fragmentation on the railways will end as they come under single, accountable national leadership, as the Government today (20 May 2021) unveils a new plan for rail which prioritises passengers and freight.

A new public body, Great British Railways, will integrate the railways, owning the infrastructure, collecting fare revenue, running and planning the network, and setting most fares and timetables.

Great British Railways will simplify the current mass of confusing tickets with new flexible season tickets, and a significant roll-out of more convenient Pay As You Go, contactless and digital ticketing on smartphones. A new Great British Railways website will sell tickets and a single compensation system for operators in England will provide a simple system for passengers to access information and apply for refunds.

There will remain a substantial, and often greater role, for the private sector. Great British Railways will contract private partners to operate most trains to the timetables and fares it specifies, with a model similar to that used by Transport for London in its successful Overground and Docklands Light Railway services.

The new Passenger Service Contracts will include strong incentives for operators to run high-quality services and increase passenger numbers. They will not be one-size-fits-all: as demand recovers, operators on some routes, particularly long-distance, will have more commercial freedom. Affordable walk-on fares and season ticket prices will be protected.

The Williams-Shapps Plan for Rail, published today, sets out the path towards a truly passenger-focused railway, underpinned by new contracts that prioritise punctual and reliable services, the rapid delivery of a ticketing revolution, with new flexible and convenient tickets, and long-term proposals to build a modern, greener and accessible network.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson said:

“I am a great believer in rail, but for too long passengers have not had the level of service they deserve.

“By creating Great British Railways, and investing in the future of the network, this government will deliver a rail system the country can be proud of”.

Grant Shapps, Transport Secretary, said:

“Our railways were born and built to serve this country, to forge stronger connections between our communities and provide people with an affordable, reliable and rapid service. Years of fragmentation, confusion and over-complication has seen that vision fade, and passengers failed. That complicated and broken system ends today.

“The pandemic has seen the Government take unprecedented steps to protect services and jobs. It’s now time to kickstart reforms that give the railways solid and stable foundations for the future, unleashing the competitive, innovative and expert abilities of the private sector, and ensuring passengers come first.

“Great British Railways marks a new era in the history of our railways. It will become a single familiar brand with a bold new vision for passengers – of punctual services, simpler tickets and a modern and green railway that meets the needs of the nation.”

Keith Williams, Chair of the Williams Review, said:

“Our Plan is built around the passenger, with new contracts which prioritise excellent performance and better services, better value fares, and creating clear leadership and real accountability when things go wrong.

“Our railway history - rich with Victorian pioneers and engineers, steam and coal, industry and ingenuity - demands a bright future. This plan is the path forward, reforming our railways to ensure they work for everyone in this country.”

Covid-19 has caused deep, structural challenges to the railway, with use still far below pre-pandemic levels. This strategy re-emphasises our commitment to growing, not shrinking, the rail network, with tens of billions of pounds invested in more electrification, new and reopened lines and a rail revolution.

Great British Railways will drive significant efficiencies in the railways' inflated costs, reducing complexity and duplication, increasing flexibility, changing working practices and making it easier and cheaper to invest. Reform is the only way to protect services and jobs in the long term.

In the short and medium term, we will work closely with the sector on measures to encourage passengers back to rail. To reflect changes in the traditional commute and working life, the Government has today announced that a new national flexi season ticket will be on sale this summer, with potential savings of hundreds of pounds a year for 2 and 3 day-a-week commuters. Tickets will be on sale on 21 June, ready for use on 28 June.

The new Passenger Service Contracts will also help to build a more financially stable industry. By removing barriers to new market entrants, including by no longer basing competitions on complex and uncertain revenue forecasts, private operators will be challenged to provide a competitive and customer-focused offer, delivering greater value-for-money for the taxpayer.

Local communities will work closely with GBR on designing services, with local leaders given greater control over local ticketing, timetables and stations. The new model will encourage innovative bidders, such as community rail partnerships who want to bid for the GBR contract to operate their local branch lines.

The journey to this new passenger-focused model has begun today. New National Rail Contracts will be announced this year. These contracts will be in operation for two years and act as a bridge to reform.

Notes to editors

Editor’s notes

The Ten Outcomes laid out in the White Paper are:

Modern passenger experience - Passengers must receive high-quality, consistent services. More accessible, reliable, well connected journeys and a new customer offers at stations and on trains.
Retail revolution - simpler, modern ways of paying for travel and straightforward compensation. Clear prices, digital ticketing and flexibility will underpin this transformation.
New ways of working with the private sector - Passenger Service Contracts will replace franchising. New opportunities for innovators, suppliers (including small and local partners) and funders will be created through streamlined contracts and more contestability.
Economic recovery and financially sustainable railways -The railways are a public service, paid for by taxpayers and passengers. Bringing together responsibility for cost and revenue in Great British Railways will ensure the railways become more financially sustainable.
Greater control for local people and places - Railways will be more responsive to the needs of local communities. Empowered, locally-led teams will support improvements and be accountable to the people and places they serve.
Cleaner, greener railways - Railways will spearhead the nation’s ambition to become a world leader in clean, green transport. Decarbonisation, greater biodiversity and improvements in air quality will ensure rail is a cleaner public transport network.
New opportunities for freight - National co-ordination offering greater flexibility and responsiveness will create new opportunities for rail freight. Modern contracts will ensure the sector continues to keep goods moving and delivering vital economic and environmental benefits.
Increased speed of delivery and efficient enhancements - Restoring lost rail links and accelerating the delivery of critical upgrades to the network will support new economic growth and connectivity across our nations and regions.
Skilled, innovative workforce - A culture of collaboration, strengthening leadership and enhancing the skills of people working across the sector are vital to delivering a better service for passengers. High-value and fulfilling opportunities for staff will ensure they can best serve the needs of customers.
Simpler industry structure - A ‘guiding mind’ for the system delivered by ‘Great British Railways’, which will be organised around regional railways. People, culture and incentives will focus on serving all customers, with clear accountability, better decision-making and a single financial system. A 30-year strategy will enable the sector to transform and modernise efficiently.

In 2018 Keith Williams, former CEO of British Airways, was asked to review the structure of the railways after a chaotic timetable change, the failure of some franchises and the clear absence of accountability.
The new structure fulfils his recommendations and fundamentally answers those challenges, creating a competitive and viable railway, with ministers holding Great British Railways to account, giving passengers faith in a clear, single point of responsibility where the buck stops to build confidence and trust in the railways.
Network Rail, the current infrastructure owner, will be absorbed into the public body to bring about single, unified and accountable leadership for the national network. Ending an opaque, blame-game system, GBR will provide a single, familiar brand – updating the famous National Rail double arrow - responsible for better services. Overall strategic direction for the railway, including infrastructure investment and fares strategy, will be set by Government, with the first ever 30-year plan for the railways ensuring money is targeted and used efficiently to deliver upgrades.
The Williams-Shapps plan also announces a comprehensive and costed environment plan will be delivered by 2022 to help achieve Net Zero, the first national accessibility audit to ensure the railway works for everyone, and the first 30-year strategy for the railways, sets our key investment and strategic decisions to support economic growth, levelling up and the environment. This will help ensure transformative schemes like reversing Beeching cuts are prioritised.
This is not renationalisation, which this Government continues to believe failed the railways – rather, it is simplification. While Great British Railways acts as the guiding mind to coordinate the whole network, our plan will see greater involvement of the private sector – private companies will be contracted to run the trains, with stronger competition to run services. Our reforms will also unleash huge new opportunities for the private sector to innovate in areas such as ticket retailing and data that can be used by passengers to better plan their journeys.