Arriva
UK
Trains,


which
is
owned
by
Deutsche
Bahn
and
was
the
last
private
sector
operator
of
Northern,
has
called
for
an
industry
summit
about
the
future
of
open
access.

Arriva’s
move
has
followed
the
George
Bradshaw
Address
last
week,
in
which
transport
secretary
Mark
Harper
spoke
of
the
government’s
commitment
to
reform,
including
the
possibility
of
more
open
access
services.

Arriva
UK
Trains
managing
director
David
Brown
said:
‘We
have
long
called
for
reform
which
builds
on
the
very
best
of
what
the
rail
industry
does
and
delivers
cost-effective,
modernised
services
for
customers
and
communities.

‘It
is
welcome
news
that
the
focus
has
moved
from
diagnosing
well-understood
challenges
to
delivering
action
for
the
post-pandemic
age,
including
through
change
that
doesn’t
require
legislation
and
ensures
customers
quickly
experience
improvements
and
the
taxpayer
benefits.
Arriva
are
ready
and
willing
to
help
the
railways
grow
and
generate
revenue
to
reduce
taxpayer
subsidy
through
our
commercial
expertise
and
understanding
of
what
customers
want.

‘It
is
particularly
pleasing
to
see
government
commitment
to
supporting
more
open
access
services
where
it
benefits
passengers
and
taxpayers.
We
know
through
our
stewardship
of
Grand
Central
and
by
watching
other
open
access
operations,
the
innovation
and
customer-focused
improvements
that
can
be
delivered
through
such
services.

‘We
are
calling
for
an
Open
Access
Summit
bringing
together
government,
the
regulator,
industry,
Network
Rail
and
the
Great
British
Railways
Transition
Team
to
collectively
work
through
the
barriers
and
blockers
and
agree
practical
steps
for
unleashing
more
of
these
innovative
services,
including
through
making
best
use
of
unused
capacity
on
the
network.’

The
original
plan
for
railway
privatisation
in
the
1990s
had
envisaged
a
‘right
of
access’
which
could
have
meant
almost
unlimited
open
access,
but
this
idea
was
abandoned
at
a
very
early
stage
in
favour
of
‘moderation
of
competition’
to
protect
those
operators
who
had
a
government
franchise.

Arriva
UK
Trains
owns
open
access
operator
Grand
Central.
It
also
currently
operates
Chiltern
Railways
and
CrossCountry
under
risk-free
contracts
with
the
government
after
franchises
were
abolished in
September
2020, during
the
Covid
pandemic.