Labour signals the advent of Great British Railways
With the Labour Government’s new ambitious plans to revamp the UK’s rail network, the future of rail travel promises to be more aligned with public interests and delivered through a better service. High on the agenda within the King’s Speech at the first State Opening of Parliament, was new legislation to renationalise the railway, through the establishment of Great British Railways.
Under the new directives, Labour seeks to shift the ownership of the railways back to public hands, as detailed on their election campaign and the Guardian’s recent coverage. This move aligns with a growing public sentiment that railways should prioritise service over profit, ensuring that travel remains both affordable and reliable for everyday users.
A tall order for Louise Haigh
It will be down to the new Secretary of State for Transport, Louise Haigh, to bring Great British Railways to life, but early indications suggest trade unions welcome the renationalisation plans, although changes in law still need to be worked out before the project can gain any significant momentum.
Managing travel costs and delays
Frequent passengers who use the UK’s rail network typically have two main categories of feedback, reliability and cost. Regular cancellations of services run by train operators make the mode of transport unreliable and difficult to be confident when making essential journeys such as travelling to the airport or work meetings.
Ticket prices have also risen significantly in recent years, with people taking to social media to demonstrate how it’s often cheaper, though less environmentally friendly, to take a regional flight than travel by train. It’s no surprise to therefore see that bring down ticket prices.
A unified and simplified rail system
That’s the plan, with Labour hoping one centrally managed organisation for tracks and trains will end the constant dissatisfaction from passengers and challenges businesses across the supply chain face.
Great British Railways, according to Labour’s election campaigning, will focus not just on timetables and service improvements, but also maintenance and infrastructure improvements. NRL’s Rail contracting teams work up and down the UK rail network to ensure safety-critical repairs and maintenance is proactively managed. Including using ultrasonic testing to check for defects such as cracks in the rails, as well as grinding down surface damage that heightens the risk of train derailment. Their detailed asset inspection plays a crucial role in keeping Britain’s rail track in safe condition, so the team are keen to hear more about how plans for Great British Railways will boost investment in maintenance and safety inspection protocols.
Improving connections in the North
The new Government will need to also pick up where the last left with the cancellation of the HS2 project in the North, after they publicly announced that High Speed 2 (HS2) wouldn’t be extended past Birmingham.
Mentioned in the King’s Speech was the High Speed Rail (Crewe – Manchester) Bill, a plan to repurpose the money intended for the HS2 extension to regional projects in the North of England. The bill will be aimed at ensuring funds are used where they’re needed most, including a focus on boosting connectivity to Manchester Airport, with new stations planned for Manchester Piccadilly and Manchester Airport – designed to provide a better connection from Liverpool and West Yorkshire.
Supporting the rail sector
For over 20 years our contracting teams have supported key rail infrastructure across the network, and it’s no surprise they’ve seen a great deal of change over the decades.
In the coming months everyone is expecting more detail to be released by the new transport secretary as the finer details are worked out and bills are debated in parliament. Each new bill will need to be approved by the House of Parliament and granted Royal Assent before changes can be put into place, but it’s clear to see that the new Labour Government have bold plans to reform the rail sector.