UK: Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander set out five priorities for Shadow Great British Railways in her first major rail-focused speech in the role.
Speaking to staff from the government’s in-house operator DfT Operator Ltd in Manchester on January 20, Alexander confirmed that an industry-wide Rail Plan for Change would be published this spring, and looked ahead to paint a picture of rail as an enabler of economic growth.
She said her five priorities for SGBR this year are:
- ‘non-negotiable’ integration between operators and Network Rail to ‘rip out duplication’ and ‘simplify the management of track and train’;
- drive up operational performance;
- make headway in reforming the fares structure and ticketing processes;
- fostering innovation, including partnering with ‘world leading innovators, particularly around AI’ to ‘create a better passenger experience and greater efficiency’;
- be ‘a force for positive change beyond the tracks’.
Suggesting that GBR could have ‘a scale and impact’ comparable to the National Health Service, she said it is ‘a route to unlock economic, social and environmental value across the country’.
DfT Operator Ltd could become ‘the most exciting place to work in the industry’, and as more train operators come under public control its ‘influence and importance is growing faster than any other public body’.
Alexander acknowledged that ending the outsourcing of operations is ‘never going to be a silver bullet’, saying ‘we can change the name of the holding company or the livery on the side of the train, but none of that guarantees a changed experience for the person on the platform’.
She said ‘I know it may be tempting to wait for GBR to fix all of our problems’, but ‘we must get the basics right’.
This includes ‘getting trains to turn up when they’re meant to. Ensuring a proper seven-day a week service where Sunday services are as reliable as Monday’s. Attracting a modern workforce that can roll out innovation. Ending the fragmentation and blame culture. And rebuilding passenger confidence one punctual, comfortable journey at a time. This is the minimum that our fare payers deserve, yet too often don’t see.’
