Rail Partners promises to modernise industry
TRAIN operating companies have set out their ambitions for rail reform as part of the launch of the Rail Partners trade body.
The new organisation takes over the advocacy and lobbying functions for private sector train operator owning groups and freight companies from the Rail Delivery Group.
The remainder of RDG’s remit - including customer services, industry operations, retail and commercial functions and technology and data - is due to be transferred to Great British Railways.
Accompanying the launch of Rail Partners on July 19 was the publication of a prospectus, Working Together for a Better Railway, which sets out five priority areas for reform and proposals aimed at enhancing the passenger experience, increasing freight and reducing the need for taxpayer support.
They include the need for the new GBR public body to be a ‘guiding mind’, but not a controlling mind by having the necessary freedom from government, avoiding overcentralisation and generating a commercial culture.
The document also argues that new Passenger Service Contracts must look to harness private sector creativity and entrepreneurialism. Meanwhile, a retail revolution in fares and ticketing - with singleleg pricing at the heart of a new system - is also needed to grow new markets.
There are also calls on government to set an ambitious target to treble rail freight volumes by 2050 and to commit to a strategy to further decarbonise the railway.
Rail Partners Chief Executive Andy Bagnall described how through a collaborative partnership between the public and private sectors, there is an opportunity to co-create successful reforms.
He also outlined how there is scope and an appetite among his members to “replicate and surpass” previous achievements on the network since privatisation and the last large-scale reorganisation of the sector in the 1990s.
According to the prospectus, this includes a doubling in passenger numbers to 1,753 million journeys in 2019 (compared to 735m in 1995) and the conversion of a £2 billion annual operating deficit into a surplus.
Freight volumes were also increased at the same time by 84% to 17.9bn net tonne kms in 2022 (from 9.7bn net tonne kms in 1995), while total private sector investment in rolling stock and other areas has been calculated to total nearly £6bn since 2015.
“Our members have previously restored our railways finances, driving up passenger numbers, introducing new trains and overseeing a renaissance of both the passenger and freight railway,” Bagnall said.
“Rail Partners and its members share the Government’s ambition for rail. To make it a reality, we need a renewed, improved and reinvigorated public-private partnership, where operators are empowered to do what they do best, not only the interests of the industry and its people, but to the benefit of the nation as a whole.”
Rail Minister Wendy Morton added: “The launch of Rail
Partners is a key moment in the transformation of the railways and our shared desire to use expertise and innovation to modernise the industry.
“As we continue delivering on our Plan for Rail, the Rail Partners team will play a vital role working with government to forge a new partnership between public and private sectors, building on private
sector knowledge while always putting the needs of passengers and freight customers first.” @paul_rail
Train operating companies that are currently publicly operated, including LNER, Northern and Transport for Wales, have not been given full membership of Rail Partners.
See Wolmar, p44-45