RDG conference
We can be changemakers or bystanders - Rail Delivery Group Chief Executive says industry must keep pace with society.
“WE can embrace change, be changemakers and lead our industry through the challenges ahead - or we can be spectators, bystanders, watching from the sidelines.”
That was the message from Rail Delivery Group Chief Executive Paul Plummer at the organisation’s annual conference in London on November 26.
Plummer said that the biggest change of all was climate change, and that he was “determined that the railway is a central part of the UK’s target to produce net zero carbon emissions by 2050. We must be part of the solution to climate change.”
To deal with this issue requires a “complete change in our mindset”, he said. While Plummer believes that rail is ahead of other modes of travel, the industry can only make the argument successfully by demonstrating what can be done.
He also highlighted the need to change the fares structure, telling delegates: “People demand more flexibility. The railway needs to adapt to demands for travel at different times, not just the rush hour, and to changing demands from our customers. If they can book a flight or hotel, do their weekly shopping, order an outfit and arrange a date on their phone, what will they demand from their railway?
“That’s why we’re moving forward with a simplified, transparent reform of fares, and arguing for a step-change so that tickets reflect actual journeys, and customers know they can get the best available price for every part of their journey. No tricks, no hacks, just a fair price for the service you get.”
Plummer also warned that a major project such as HS2 must be ready for changes in the population, in terms of numbers and the fact that people are living longer.
“The latest Office of National Statistics projection is that the UK population will pass 70 million by mid-2031 and will reach 72.4 million by 2043,” he said.
“At the time of the Railway Act in the mid-90s, the UK population was 58 million (by the way, at the establishment of British Rail in 1948, it was 50 million, and when the Liverpool-Manchester Railway was launched in 1830, it was 16.5 million).
“This change has an impact on the railway - whole new towns and suburbs, new demands for services, more passengers. We anticipate the number of customers to double in coming years, and we need to be ready.”
He added: “We are getting older as a society. The ONS projects that there will be an increasing number of older people - the proportion aged 85 years and over is projected to almost double over the next 25 years.
“Again, we need to be ready - demands from a huge nonworking section of the population, with different needs for access and ease of travel, using the railway not for work but for leisure.
“That’s why a major project such as HS2 is so important to meet these needs, and why the investment decisions we reach today will have an impact on our
ability to deliver tomorrow.”
Plummer also warned of the changing demands from the industry’s future users. “This generation of older customers will be tech-savvy digital natives, using the railway to head for kite-surfing or rock-climbing or music festivals.
“And our new customers will have been born in the 21st century, brought up on Spotify, Airbnb and Deliveroo, and demanding instant information and services.
“People are more questioning and less deferential. They demand high standards of ethics and transparency. Successful corporations are embracing these new demands.”
Plummer also spoke of an emerging consensus on the need for a strategic body to oversee the railway, a “new look” at franchises, and better integration between different transport modes.