GREAT British Railways, a new public body
which will integrate the country’s railways by owning the infrastructure,
collecting fares revenue, running and planning the network, and setting most
fares and timetables, is set to be established as part of sweeping reforms
included in the long-awaited Williams-Shapps Plan for Rail, which was announced
on May 19.
In addition, the Williams-Shapps plan
announces a comprehensive and costed environment plan, which will be delivered
by 2022, as the railway targets becoming carbon neutral. The government says
national coordination will give freight operators greater flexibility and
responsiveness. There will also be the first national accessibility audit to
ensure the railway works for everyone.
The government says 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.
“Great British Railways marks a new era in
the history of our railways,” says secretary of state for transport, Mr Grant
Shapps. “It will become a familiar brand with a bold new vision for passengers
– of punctual services, simpler tickets, and a modern green railway that meets
the needs of the nation.”
Private passenger operators
Under the plan, Great British Railways will
contract private partners to operate most trains to the timetables and fares it
specifies under a model akin to Transport for London’s Overground and Docklands
Light Railway services.
The government says private operators will
have a substantial and often greater role than under the previous franchising
model, which came to an end in September.
Passenger Service Contracts will replace
National Rail Contracts (NRC), currently under negotiation with franchise
operators to replace Emergency Recovery Measures Agreements (ERMA), introduced
to support most franchise operators during the coronavirus pandemic while
passenger numbers remained suppressed. The NRC contracts will begin to enter
force later this year and will be in place for two years, acting as a bridge to
the reform set to take place in the Passenger Service Contracts. These
contracts will include strong incentives for operators to run high-quality
services and increase passenger numbers.
Crucially, unlike franchising, the
Passenger Service Contracts will not be one-size fits all. “As demand recovers,
operators on some routes, particularly long-distance, will have more commercial
freedom,” the government says. “Affordable walk-on fares and season ticket
prices will be protected.”
In addition, the government says
competitions for the new Passenger Service Contracts will not require complex
long-term revenue forecasts, which was the case in franchising bidding. Instead
the government says private operators will be challenged to provide a
competitive and customer-focused offer, delivering greater value for money to
the taxpayer. Local communities will have the opportunity to work with Great
British Railways to design services and local leaders will also have greater
control over local ticketing, timetables and stations. Interestingly, the new
model will encourage innovative bidders such as community rail partnerships to
bid to operate their local branch line.
“The pandemic has seen the government take
unprecedented steps to protect services and jobs,” Shapps says. “It is now time
to kick-start reforms that give the railways solid and stable foundations for
the future, unleashing the competitive, innovative and expert abilities of the
private sector, ensuring passengers come first.”
Ticketing reform
A new Great British Railways ticket website
and app will be introduced to offer simple digital ticketing, contactless
pay-as-you-go travel and straightforward compensation.
New national rail flexible season tickets
are among the reforms included in the plan, which reflect changes in working
patterns. The paperless ticket will allow travel on eight days in a 28-day
period and the first tickets are set to go on sale on June 21 for use by June
28. Passengers will be able to tap smartcards or smart phones at the station
with no need to select the day of travel in advance. Exact details of the
savings will be provided before tickets go on sale but the government says they
are expected to save two-day a week commuters hundreds of pounds.
“For many, the idea of travelling five days
a week to the office is fast becoming a relic of the past,” Shapps says. “The
future is flexible; passengers want a simple stree-free option and new flexible
tickets make fares fairer.”
Industry response
Various industry bodies issued statements
in support of the plan.
Mr Andrew Haines, chief executive, Network
Rail: “These changes will take time, but I am determined to get to work quickly
with the industry and government. The pandemic has created significant
challenges for the industry, and that means the changes we have to make are
even more urgent. We must attract passengers back, deliver efficiencies and
improve the service we provide. Today marks the start of an exciting new
chapter for our railway, a chapter that puts the passenger first.”
Mr Robert Nisbet, director of nations and
regions at the Rail Delivery Group, which represents operators: “Flexi Season
tickets are a step in the right direction, but to really maximise the benefits
and make it easier for people to get good value fares requires government to go
further and get under the bonnet to fix the engine of the fares system.”
Mr Tobyn Hughes, managing director of
Transport North East and rail lead at the Urban Transport Group: “The
Williams-Shapps plan is an opportunity to build on the success of devolved rail
networks like London Overground and Merseyrail by giving transport authorities
a stronger role in line with local aspirations and capabilities. There is an
immediate opportunity on fares and ticketing to better integrate rail with
existing city region smart and multi-modal ticketing products. Passengers in
the city regions want a joined up public transport network with a single
ticketing system and rail needs to be part of this, not standing outside of
it.”