Railways ‘need public and private influence to thrive’

Creating a thriving railway for Britain should involve a “best of both worlds” approach with private sector operators and public accountability, according to a new plan.

Industry body Rail Partners urged politicians to attract passengers back to rail and restore millions of pounds in lost revenue due to the coronavirus pandemic.

It published a five-point Manifesto for Rail ahead of next week’s annual George Bradshaw Address in Westminster, which will see the Conservatives and Labour set out their respective plans for the sector.

The strategy calls for a new contractual model which switches decision-making from Whitehall to operators, enabling the latter to use their “commercial expertise” to respond to the needs of passengers.

This is “the best way” to grow the railway and provide the best value for taxpayers, the organisation claimed.

The manifesto recommends allowing operators to compete with each other on more long distance routes, and an “overhaul” of fares and ticketing to ensure passengers get the best value for their journey.

The document includes a plea for more investment in rail freight infrastructure and incentives for companies to take freight off roads.

It also calls for legislation to create a new body to oversee the railways which is accountable to the public.

Rail Partners chief executive Andy Bagnall said: “Our Manifesto for Rail is a five-point plan, backed by train companies, to get the railways delivering their full potential for Britain again.

“It gives whoever forms the next government a clear set of priorities to deliver reform and put the railways back on track to growth.

“The public is not that interested in how our railways are structured or organised, they just want to have trains that run on time and fares that offer them the best value for their journey.

“There doesn’t have to be a binary choice between a railway monopoly in public hands, and one that delivers competition and innovation by harnessing the commercial expertise of private sector operators.

“We need the best of both worlds, which means focusing the system outwards on passengers and freight customers by empowering operators to meet their needs, and creating a single accountable body so the public knows who is in charge.”