A brand new report from the Centre for Coverage Research (CPS), authored by rail knowledgeable Tony Lodge, warns that the federal government’s deliberate introduction of Nice British Railways (GBR) dangers repeating the errors of British Rail by decreasing accountability and discouraging competitors. Titled ‘Rail’s Final Probability: A four-point plan to avoid wasting the railways’, the report outlines pressing reforms wanted to make sure Nice British Railways delivers improved companies and monetary sustainability.
Lodge argues that Nice British Railways is “an answer searching for an issue” and will morph into the “ghost of British Rail” except ministers undertake a long-term, customer-focused imaginative and prescient. The deliberate centralisation of management underneath Nice British Railways contains stripping key regulatory capabilities from the impartial Workplace for Highway and Rail (ORR), transferring oversight tasks to Nice British Railways itself. This, the report warns, would considerably scale back transparency and permit the organisation to “mark its personal homework”.
The report additionally criticises the federal government’s obvious hostility to open entry rail competitors, which Lodge describes as the best railway success in current many years. He highlights the East Coast Important Line (ECML) for example the place open entry operators have led to extra selection, sooner companies, and cheaper fares, whereas additionally pushing the primary franchise operator, LNER, to enhance its providing. European international locations emulating this mannequin have seen passenger will increase of 40 p.c and fare reductions of as much as 60 p.c. Lodge recommends setting open entry quotas of a minimum of 10 p.c on all long-distance intercity routes by 2030.
A second suggestion is for the ORR to retain full regulatory powers, notably over selections concerning entry to railway infrastructure. The report argues that independence is important to make sure requirements, management prices, and defend truthful competitors.
Third, Lodge requires Nice British Railways to focus rigorously on enhancing the passenger expertise. He urges the design of a brand new nationwide ticketing app that simplifies fare constructions and contains options like a ‘Rail Miles’ loyalty scheme or bundled offers with hospitality and retail. The goal ought to be to make prepare journey simpler, cheaper, and extra enticing.
Lastly, the report highlights the underutilised potential of the railway property. It requires Nice British Railways to generate higher ancillary revenue by means of industrial improvement, renewable power, and revolutionary makes use of of rail property. Drawing on worldwide examples, Lodge factors to Japan’s mannequin, the place a good portion of railway income comes from retail and property. With 52,000 hectares underneath railway administration, Britain has huge potential for photo voltaic power technology, together with 188 MWp throughout 34 websites, sufficient to energy as much as 180,000 properties and usher in tens of tens of millions in new revenue. Lodge suggests additional exploring lineside photo voltaic technology throughout the community.
Tony Lodge concluded: “Labour is dedicated to bringing it ahead and has the parliamentary mandate to take action. It’s important then that Nice British Railways is designed and run with buyer focus at its coronary heart; encouraging innovation and competitors, selling open entry, supporting rail freight, and maximising revenue from the broader railway property. With out this, Nice British Railways will merely resurrect the ghost of British Rail, with all of the poor efficiency, taxpayer subsidy, and passenger dissatisfaction that got here with it.”
