The Department for Transport (DfT) has today (5/11) published its response to its Railways Bill consultation, taking a key step forward toward setting up Great British Railways (GBR).
The Bill, which will be laid in Parliament today, provides the legal framework for bringing together track and train under GBR, aiming to create a more coherent, effective, inclusive railway.
At the same time, the DfT has set out an Accessibility Roadmap, committing to a suite of steps to make rail more accessible for all.
The news has been welcomed by Community Rail Network, a national NGO supporting grassroots engagement and action to help communities access, use and derive maximum social, environmental and economic value from local railways and stations.
Jools Townsend, chief executive of Community Rail Network, said: “We’re excited about the ongoing progress to set up Great British Railways (GBR), bring passenger services under public control, and create a truly inclusive rail network that serves all our communities well, both now and for generations to come.
“Community rail is a grassroots movement that exists to help communities make full use of local railways and stations, to eke out greater value from them, and have a voice on rail and transport development. We’re therefore playing an active part in sharing community voices, experiences and insights, feeding into the design of GBR, and on an ongoing basis.
“From our work we see up-close the incredible difference that rail connectivity means to people’s lives and local places, and we recognise the huge importance of enabling more people to use rail, for the sake of our climate and equitable access to opportunity. However, we also hear from communities the range of barriers they experience to making greater use of rail and greener end-to-end journeys.
“We believe that rail reform, alongside surrounding work to improve transport accessibility and integration, will be transformative in unlocking social, environmental, and economic value. We look forward to continuing to work with our members across Britain, railway and government partners, to ensure this process of change has communities firmly at the forefront and at the heart of rail decision-making. For us to create a railway that is truly inclusive and forms the backbone of a more sustainable transport future, drawing on local insights and treating communities as partners is paramount.”
The Government states that major changes in the Bill include:
- A strengthened Passenger Watchdog which will act as passengers’ champion and create a better, more inclusive railway for all. The watchdog will have powers to investigate poor service and demand improvements, as well as ensuring passengers have a clear and accessible service to escalate their complaints;
- Fare and Ticketing reform – the Railways Bill will empower GBR to bring fares and ticketing into the 21st century. Passengers will ultimately be able to purchase tickets through a new GBR website and app, replacing 14 existing operator ticketing platforms. Tickets will be available to purchase at station ticket offices, via ticket vending machines and onboard trains, to ensure all passengers can purchase a ticket with ease and travel with confidence. GBR will also build on the expansion of successful Pay As You Go and fares trials, making travel more flexible and simpler.
- Better business planning – the Railways Bill will place a duty on GBR to grow rail freight, meaning freight operators will benefit from a longer-term strategic approach to planning, including a new capacity allocation and timetabling process. This longer-term certainty for businesses will give critical stability to the railway’s supply chain and increase investor confidence and support the growth of the sector.
- Localised decision making – the Railways Bill will give the Devolved Governments and England’s mayors a new role and a bigger say in how the railway is run in their patch to improve local connectivity.
See below links to two briefing notes providing an overview of the legislation and its potential implications:
Commitments in the Accessibility Roadmap include expanded eligibility criteria for the Disabled Persons Railcard, planning for the wider rollout of Welcome Points across the network, more consistent training for staff, and improvements on installing and maintaining key infrastructure, like lifts and escalators so that people can travel with confidence.
You can read the DfT announcement here, and more information on the Railways Bill here.