Updated
13.25

A
draft
Rail
Reform
Bill


which
would
set
up
the
new
’guiding
mind’
Great
British
Railways
has
been
included
in
the
King’s
Speech
in
the
House
of
Lords
today.

Briefing
notes
which
have
been
published
by
the
Government
say:
‘Given
the
scale
and
complexity
of
the
changes
being
made
to
the
sector,
it
is
right
that
the
draft
Bill
undergoes
pre-legislative
scrutiny
to
provide
Parliamentarians and
experts
across
industry
the
opportunity
to
review
and
test
the
legislation
in
draft.
This
will
allow
for
a
swifter
passage
through
Parliament
when
the
legislation
is
brought
forward.’

But
the
Bill’s
draft
status
has
disappointed
some
observers
in
the
rail
industry.

Lobbying
group
Rail
Partners’
chief
executive
Andy
Bagnall
said:
‘The
recommitment
to
establishing
Great
British
Railways
with
the
publication
of
a
draft
bill
is
a
step
forward,
but
it
is
a
missed
opportunity
to
not
actually
legislate
in
this
Parliament.

‘The
rail
industry
has
been
awaiting
progress
on
reform
since
the
Williams
Review
started
over
five
years
ago,
culminating
in
the
Plan
for
Rail
being
published
in
2021.
Delivering
that
plan
remains
the
best
foundation
to
build
a
better
railway
for
Britain,
and
not
seizing
the
moment
now
means
continuing
uncertainty
until
after
the
next
General
Election.’

Norman
Baker,
from
the
charity
Campaign
for
Better
Transport,
said:
‘We
welcome
the
renewed
commitment
to
Great
British
Railways
as
a
guiding
mind
and
arms-length
body
but
it
is
not
clear
why
this
is
a
draft
Rail
Reform
Bill
rather
than
a
commitment
to
legislate
given
this
has
already
been
subject
to
extensive
discussion
and
is
largely
non-controversial
across
all
the
political
parties.’

Former
Strategic
Rail
Authority
chairman
and
chief
executive
Richard
Bowker
told
the
PA
press
agency:
‘I
am
genuinely
struggling
to
see
why
it
is
so
complex
that,
two-and-a-half
years
since
the
Williams-Shapps
plan
was
announced,
we’re
still
only
at
this
point.

‘Anything
that
moves
us
towards
a
world
where
government
officials
have
less
to
do
with
the
day-to-day
running
things
is
good
news,
but
why
so
slow?
Time
is
really
of
the
essence.
What
have
you
been
doing
for
two-and-a-half
years?

‘There’s
no
doubt
that,
if
you
have
a
disrupted,
unreliable
railway,
it
affects
people’s
willingness
to
travel.

‘We’ve
got
to
get
this
industrial
relations
issue
resolved,
and
we’ve
got
to
get
back
to
absolute
basics
in
terms
of
running
a
boring,
reliable
railway.

‘Anything
that
resolves
the
issues
of
today
and
starts
getting
the
basic
things
right,
we’ve
got
to
get
on
with
it
fast,
because
if
we’re
not
careful,
people
will
lose
faith.’

Railway
Industry
Association
chief
executive
Darren
Caplan
said:
‘The
Railway
Industry
Association
and
70
of
our
members
campaigned
on
this
earlier
this
year,
writing
to
Prime
Minister
Rishi
Sunak,
about
the
need
to
take
the
establishment
of
Great
British
Railways
forward,
to
provide
some
certainty
about
rail
restructure
and
avoid
hiatus
in
decision-making.

‘And
so
whilst
we
would
have
wanted
a
full
Transport
Bill
providing
for
GBR,
today’s
inclusion
of
a
Draft
Bill
does
seem
to
be
progress
and
a
statement
of
Government
intent
to
reform
rail,
ultimately
bringing
track
and
train
closer
together,
and
developing
a
“guiding
mind”
and
a
long-term
plan
for
the
railways.
We
urge
the
Government
to
begin
the
pre-legislative
scrutiny
process
without
delay.’

Urban
Transport
Group
director
Jason
Prince
said:
‘Many
of
the
much-needed
transport
laws
promised
in
the
current
Parliamentary
session
have
once
again
failed
to
materialise.
Although
we
welcome
the
prospect
of
a
new
Automated
Vehicles
Bill,
it
is
disappointing
that
the
Government
has
only
presented
a
draft
Rail
Reform
Bill,
effectively
leaving
any
prospect
of
reform
this
side
of
the
General
Election
stuck
in
the
sidings.’