Labour’s rail plans “ambitious”, says IPPR

Reacting to Labour's announcement on rail, Dr Maya Singer Hobbs, IPPR senior research fellow, said:  

“The British public are rightly frustrated by the sorry state that UK rail has been allowed to descend into and we welcome Labour's ambition to fix this.  

“Establishing Great British Railways could provide a real opportunity to simplify ticketing, improve service quality for passengers, invest in rail more effectively and give the public more say.  

“Labour's plan to better utilise rail freight is essential to cutting emissions and getting unnecessary traffic off our roads. It will also greatly help the UK economy, by supporting manufacturing and industry across the country. 

“IPPR has long argued for a greater role for local leaders and communities in shaping rail services. Labour's plans to give devolved leaders a statutory role would be a major step forward and should extend to mayors having the option to take control of commuter routes. 

“We've now seen Labour's buses plan and their rail plan - what we hope to see is how Labour would join the dots across different modes to truly transform people's experience of getting around the country – helping more places approach London-style transport.”