The former CEO of British Airways and architect of the
Conservative's rail reform plan has welcomed Labour's plan to fix
Britain's railways.
Keith Williams was called in by the Conservatives following the
2018 timetabling fiasco to conduct a root-and-branch review of
the rail industry.
His reforms recommended creating an arms-length, publicly owned
body, Great British Railways, to run and manage the rail network,
and set fares and timetables.
The reforms, intended to bring leadership to Britain's railways,
have been long-delayed due to Tory wrangling and delay.
Labour's plans, announced today will create a unified, publicly
owned, accountable and arm's length body Great British Railways,
which will be led by rail experts, not Whitehall. Operators will
be folded into the new body, as contracts expire. The plan
endorses many of the key proposals made by Keith Williams.
Labour's proposals were also welcomed by industry heavyweight
Juergen Maier, who was Chief Executive of rail industry giant,
Siemens. Passengers groups, devolved mayors, and other key
figures in the rail industry, including rolling stock providers,
also threw their weight behind Labour's plans.
Commenting on Labour's plans, Keith
Williams, said:
“I welcome Labour's intention, if they are elected, to take
forward the substance of my recommendations to deliver a better
railway for passengers and freight by creating a rail body with
an integrated profit and loss account, at arm's length from
Government.
“Running a better railway and driving revenue and reducing costs
will deliver economic growth, jobs and housing by delivering
better connectivity.”
Commenting Jurgen Maier, Former CEO of Siemens
UK, said:
"This rail reform is a significant step in the
right direction. It is clear that there is no plan and no
ambition for our UK Railway at the present time. Creating a
long-term strategy is exactly what we need and will begin to
restore confidence across the network - especially for
passengers.
“Investors, businesses and government will also be able to work
in partnership again and ensure that our railway is key to
enabling productivity and economic growth."
Commenting Mary Grant,
CEO of rolling stock provider, Porterbrook said:
“Substantial investment in Britain's railway is
required over the next 30 years to drive economic growth, achieve
net zero, protect the natural environment and build resilience.
We welcome the Labour Party's commitment to leverage private
capital to help deliver its long-term strategy for rolling
stock.”
Commenting Paul Tuohy, Chief Executive of the Campaign
for Better Transport, said:
“We're pleased to see Labour laying out ambitious
plans for the railways which promise to put passengers first.
“Rail reform is long overdue, and we are delighted that many of
our own recommendations for improving the rail network -
including a best price ticket guarantee, a commitment to move
more freight by rail, nationwide digital season tickets and
support for open access operators – have been taken on board.
“The rail network is crucial to the economy, to communities and
to our efforts to address climate change, so we look forward to
seeing more detail on these plans in due course.”
Commenting Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy ,
said:
“Anyone who relies on trains in the North of
England knows the current system is simply not delivering.
“Unaccountable private operators have let down countless
passengers and held back economic growth across the country.
“Labour's plans will put passengers back in the driving seat,
empower local leaders to deliver better services for their
communities, and end the cycle of chaos on our railways.”
Ends
Notes:
Tomorrow (Thursday 25th April) Labour's Shadow
Transport Secretary, , will announce Labour's
thorough and detailed roadmap to establish Great British Railways
and get Britain moving.
Source:
[1] Williams-Shapps Plan for Rail: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/great-british-railways-williams-shapps-plan-for-rail
[2] https://www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-and-advice/rail-reforms-uk-trains-general-election-b2448496.html
