The King’s Speech on Wednesday included long-awaited legislation to create a new public sector body to oversee Britain’s railways.
Great British Railways (GBR) will bring responsibility for tracks and trains under a single organisation for the first time since privatisation in the mid-1990s.
The Government said having decision making on access to the network under one accountable body will end the current complexity and fragmentation, which has led to disagreements, delays producing timetables and difficulties coping with capacity constraints.
From the history of steam through to 21st century rail transport news, we have titles that cater for all rail enthusiasts. Covering diesels, modelling, steam and modern railways, check out our range of magazines and fantastic subscription offers.
GBR will be tasked with simplifying the fares and ticketing system, including by consolidating 14 existing operator websites into a single online platform.
The Government added that metro mayors will have a statutory role empowering them to work in partnership with GBR.
GBR was first proposed by the Conservative government in May 2021 and will have its headquarters in Derby.
In addition to the creation of GBR, the Railways and Passenger Benefits Bill will also set up a new watchdog to set standards, investigate poor service and provide an independent ombudsman service to resolve disputes between passengers and operators.
These measures were all previously announced.
A major part of the Government’s overhaul of the railways is the ongoing nationalisation of train services.
The Department for Transport announced last week that Great Western Railway will be taken into public ownership on December 13.
Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham said in a written statement: “This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to overhaul how the railways are run – creating a service that puts passengers first, with more reliable trains and simpler fares and tickets.”
Meanwhile, the Northern Powerhouse Rail (NPR) Bill provides powers to boost east-west rail connections across northern England.
The first phase of the £45 billion programme will improve connections on existing lines in the 2030s on the following routes: between Sheffield and Leeds; between Leeds and York; and between Leeds and Bradford.
A second phase of NPR involves a new route between Liverpool and Manchester via Manchester airport and Warrington, using a combination of new and existing lines.
The third and final phase will create better connections eastwards from Manchester to Leeds, Bradford, Sheffield and York.
Regular services would run on to Newcastle via Darlington and Durham, and Chester for North Wales connections.
Henri Murison, of the Northern Powerhouse Partnership think tank, said: “NPR will enable a single labour market more like that of London and the South East, so a young person in Bradford could aspire to work in Sheffield or Manchester, or a business there attract talent from further afield than they can today.”
