Rail Partners responds to King's Speech

Rail Partners chief executive, Andy Bagnall, said:  

‘Train companies have been calling for radical reform of the railway for several years, including the creation of Great British Railways, so the commitment to reform in today’s King’s Speech is an important milestone. However, getting the detail right below the headline is critical to achieving the government’s ambitions for green growth and reducing the railway’s financial burden on the taxpayer.

‘We want the same outcomes as the new Labour Government – a better railway for those that use it and pay for it. But to change the railway for the better, we must correctly understand the causes of the current challenges to get the right solutions – and full nationalisation is a political not a practical solution, which will increase costs over time.

‘We welcome the recognition that private sector freight and open access operators have a lot to offer, but passenger train companies also have a track record of growing the railway. They want to partner with the government to achieve this success again, within the new framework.

‘This would give public ownership of a joined-up railway but also use train companies as delivery agents to drive better commercial outcomes – which would produce results faster and at a lower cost. This approach is already being successfully used by Labour Mayors in London and Manchester, and increasingly across Europe.’