The
launch


of
a
consultation
into
the
shape
of
the
future
‘directing
mind’
Great
British
Railways
is
promised
today
by
the
Department
for
Transport.

GBR
will
need
a
change
in
the
law
to
take
over
from
Network
Rail
and
take
charge
of
most
passenger
train
services.
Renationalisation
of
the
last
ten
former
franchises
starts
in
May,
when
the
South
Western
Railway
contract
will
be
terminated,
and
that
will
be
followed
by
c2c
in
July
and
Greater
Anglia
this
autumn.
The
others
are
set
to
end
in
2026
and
2027.

A
brief
law
making
public
ownership
of
passenger
operators
the
default
rather
than
the
last
resort
was
passed
in
November,
and
this
is
being
used
to
terminate
the
existing
contracts
until
Great
British
Railways
can
take
over
from
its
future
headquarters
in
Derby.

The
DfT
says
it
will
be
unveiling
plans
today
for
the
rail
reform
bill
which
will
set
up
GBR.
The
reforms
also
include
the
creation
of
a
‘powerful
passenger
watchdog’.

Transport
secretary
Heidi
Alexander
said:
‘Passengers
have
put
up
with
broken
railways
for
far
too
long.
This
landmark
reform
will
sweep
away
decades
of
failure,
creating
a
Great
British
Railways
passengers
can
rely
on.

‘We’re
giving
passengers
a
powerful
voice
with
a
new
watchdog
dedicated
to
addressing
their
biggest
concerns,
building
railways
people
can
trust,
improving
our
services
and
boosting
the
economy
in
the
process
–
the
priority
in
our
Plan
for
Change.’

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