It was inevitable that expectations on railway issues would be high with the arrival of a new Labour Government and we have seen a rush of both proposed legislation and ministerial announcements, culminating in the budget. Whatever your personal politics are, Railfuture has always striven to be politically neutral, because as an influencing body we have to work with whoever the people of Britain elect and the focus of our efforts should be directed towards what existing and potential rail users want regardless of who is in power.

It is my view that those fundamental passenger “wants” do not change, and have not changed over many decades. They are these:

  1. A reliable railway where the train actually turns up, i.e. not cancelled, and when it arrives at its destination it is on time, or within an acceptable margin of on time.
  2. A train where I have a good chance of getting a seat and room for my luggage, in other words enough suitable coaches.
  3. I can get a ticket where I know that I have got value for money. This is not just about the price, it is about knowing I have got the best deal for the journey I want to make.
  4. A railway which is clean and where I feel safe.
My personal experience leads me to believe that if you get those things right consistently then people will use the railway by choice, rather than because they have to. Revenue will grow organically, as it desperately needs to in order to reduce the cost of the railway to taxpayers. I think it would be fair to say that at present the railways in Britain are a very long way from meeting these four basic requirements on a consistent basis.

The key question for users is whether the changes proposed by Labour will improve the railway for passengers? The latest industry performance data published by ORR shows that ownership of the various parts of the railway seems to have little relationship to train service delivery. Network Rail, which has been run by the government for 21 years, yes 21 years, is responsible for 60% of all train delays. Of the train operators, four of the worst eight performing train companies are in the hands of the Operator of Last Resort (OLR), in other words the government. The best performing train operator, Greater Anglia, is at present in private hands. I am not trying to score political points, but the numbers do not lie and these are the facts.

We have been promised change and a decade of national renewal, but there are no signs in the Autumn Statement that travel will be renewed or changed – a continuation of congested roads, and no attempt to encourage electric vehicles to be used. Bus passengers will pay more, and rail fares will not be frozen in line with the promise on fuel duty.

The budget will do little if anything towards encouraging modal shift in the short to medium term. One can only conclude that there is no joined up thinking in government between carbon reduction targets and the announcements made in the budget.

The new government is in a very difficult financial situation and there is going to be little money for new rail projects, large or small. All the more reason to focus on the day to day railway and getting the fundamentals right. So don’t let us judge Labour on what they say in the early months of power, or what they do in terms of industry structure and ownership, but judge them in just under 5 years by applying the test of the extent to which they have improved the railway against those 4 key customer requirements.

To misquote a former Conservative Prime Minister, it is time for “back to basics” in how the railway delivers for users, regardless of who owns what.


Railfuture expectations for the Autumn 2024 Budget/Spending Review

Actions in the first 100 days for the Transport Secretary

Speech by Transport Secretary