The Williams-Shapps plan in a nutshell
This major report sets out the government’s plan for a revolution on the railways in Great Britain.
It intends to “make railways the backbone of a cleaner, more environmentally friendly and modern public transport system across the country”.
The ambitious plan aims to do that by replacing franchising, accelerating innovation and integrating the railways to deliver an efficient, financially sustainable railway that meets the needs of passengers. This has taken on new importance since the pandemic accelerated the shift to home-working.
With many commuters now working at least part of the week from home rather than commuting, the only way to increase passenger numbers is to make train travel more appealing so people want to travel by train.
The plan places a heavy emphasis on embracing technology. Many principles and the way the railway operates are still based on the philosophies that were around when railways were invented in Victorian times. Despite the huge advances in technology that have taken place since, some aspects of the rail system haven’t really moved on.
A newly-created, state-controlled body, Great British Railways (GBR), will integrate the railway system, owning infrastructure and collecting fare revenue. GBR will also be in charge of planning works on the network as well as setting fares and timetables.
The plan has broadly met with guarded approval from rail bodies such as the Railway Industry Association, Transport for the North and the Rail Delivery Group. However, it has been criticised – some would say predictably – by the RMT for the involvement of many of the private companies linked to the railway’s fragmentation.