News

• A Rail Partners reception at the House of Commons welcomed guests from across parliament and industry, including rail minister, Huw Merriman MP, and shadow business and industry minister, Bill Esterson, to discuss the benefits, opportunities and potential of rail freight.
• The event follows publication of Rail Partners’ report, Freight Expectations: How rail freight can support Britain’s economy and environment. 
• Rail minister, Huw Merriman, made clear that Government was committed to setting a freight target for Great British Railways, but would not yet commit to the scale of that target. 

In response to the announcement that Derby will be the home of Great British Railways' headquarters, Andy Bagnall, Chief Executive of Rail Partners said: 

Andy Bagnall, Chief Executive of Rail Partners in response to the ORR’s latest passenger usage statistics said:

Responding to the Spring Budget, Andy Bagnall, chief executive for Rail Partners, said:

Responding to reports sections of HS2 might be delayed Andy Bagnall, chief executive for Rail Partners said:

• New analysis, commissioned by Rail Partners, shows if Government sets an ambitious target to treble rail freight by 2050, the sector will deliver nearly £5.2bn in economic benefits every year and take 20 million HGV journeys off the roads.
• The research also shows that rail freight has a considerable environmental advantage over road freight today. A single freight train now removes up to 129 heavy goods vehicles (HGVs) off the road at a time, which helps to tackle congestion on roads up and down the country, while also reducing carbon emissions.
• Rail Partners is calling on Government to work with its freight operator members to develop and implement key policies to enable rail freight to play a central role in the decarbonisation of the UK logistics sector.

Responding to the Secretary of State’s announcements on Rail Reform at the George Bradshaw Address, Andy Bagnall, Chief Executive of Rail Partners said:

In response to the rail minister, Huw Merriman MP, talking at the Transport Select Committee on rail services and infrastructure, a spokesperson for Rail Partners said:

Responding to the Minimum Service Levels bill introduction to Parliament, a spokesperson for Rail Partners said:

In response to ORR’s passenger usage statistics, Rail Partners' Chief Executive, Andy Bagnall, said:

'The latest ORR passenger usage statistics underline the financial challenges facing the rail industry from the pandemic and the current industrial action.

'It’s encouraging to see passenger numbers are improving, but to secure the long-term sustainability of the railway and in turn the jobs and economic benefits it supports, the contractual model must now evolve to accelerate recovery.

‘Operators must be given the commercial freedoms to attract customers back and make rail an attractive, sustainable and reliable choice for people up and down the country.’

Responding to today's freight usage and performance statistics, Andy Bagnall, Chief Executive of Rail Partners, said:

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: