Rail Partners responds to Secretary of State's comment on Great British Railways
Reacting to the Secretary of State’s comment at the Transport Select Committee that a final decision on Great British Railways had not yet been made, John Thomas, Director of Policy at Rail Partners, said:
“It is disappointing that the Secretary of State was unable to give a definitive timeline on the creation of Great British Railways. We welcome his commitment to engage and listen to other viewpoints, but action must be taken to end the hiatus on reform and to enable passenger owning groups and freight operators to respond to the needs of their customers. Further delay isn’t in the interests of customers, taxpayers or the industry as a whole.
“An immediate step that can be taken is to provide operators with appropriate commerical freedoms in National Rail Contracts. This could return £1.6bn to Treasury over two years, helping to plug the hole in industry finances.”
Notes to editors
Notes to editors
About Rail Partners
Rail Partners exists to make the railway better by harnessing the expertise and creativity of private sector operators for the benefit of those who use the railway, passengers and freight customers, and those who pay for it, including taxpayers.
Rail Partners provides advocacy and policy solutions for its private sector passenger owning Group and freight company members. Rail Partners additionally provides technical services to train operating companies in both the public and private sectors. For more information regarding our membership visit https://www.railpartners.co.uk/