Great British Railways [sic] moved a step closer this week. British politics may have been preoccupied by a ministerial scandal or two, but the decisive legislation was introduced to establish a new publicly owned company, which will bring together the management of passenger services and rail infrastructure. It still has to become a legal entity, but now, it’s finally on its way. Its 78 pages may make a grand total of two mentions of freight (passengers got 239), but don’t imagine that the Bill will not have implications for the sector, says RailFreight.com UK Editor, Simon Walton.
Spare a thought for transport secretary Heidi Alexander. She was doing the media round this week. An endless shuttle from studio to studio, serving up the party line on the “Railways Bill”. This is the actual legislation that will create Great British Railways (GBR). That new publicly owned company will transform our railways into a world-leading network which will be the pride of Britain and the envy of the world. Except, she wasn’t, and it isn’t.
Bonfire of the Bill
The whole stage-managed show was derailed, almost before it got out of the sidings. No sooner had happy Heidi set herself up to sing the praises of the new Bill, when one of her ministerial colleagues passed a signal at danger. The consigned Heidi to the level of a complete distraction. For the record, the Deputy Prime Minister (David Lammy) found himself unable to answer questions in the House about prisoners released by mistake. Not a good look for anyone. More so for someone who is also the Secretary of State for Justice.
Lammy’s lament, of course, played out across all the front pages. Heidi’s launch of her Bill was consigned to the bonfires on Bonfire Night before lunchtime. Up like the rocket. Down like the stick. It’s a pity that (yet another) landmark political faux pas should overshadow a piece of landmark legislation – but, as one recently previous Prime Minister said, “them’s the breaks”. Heidi might be fuming at being mentioned in the same sentence as Boris, but them, indeed, are how the breaks shook down this week.
Something called “freight customers”
So, in case you missed it, there was a bit of legislation placed before the House of Commons this week. It’s called The Railways Bill. It will create Great British Railways (GBR), which will bring together the management of passenger services and rail infrastructure. According to the document, “GBR will be responsible for coordinating the whole network, from track and train, to cost and revenue – GBR will deliver lasting change. It will also be accountable to three stakeholders: taxpayers, passengers, and, apparently, something called “freight customers”.
Yes, Network “putting passengers first” Rail, will be replaced by Great British “taxpayers, passengers and freight” Railways. GBR, which will be headquartered in Derby, will create a simpler, more unified railway that delivers easier journeys and offers better value for money – it says here. This will include a new one-stop-shop app where passengers can check train times and book tickets.
As for freight, that’s not being brought under the control of the new nationalised body. We all know that already, but freight’s not overlooked. Far from it. There are a whole two passages in the Bill devoted to freight. Well, actually, two mentions of freight. Well, actually, just one, if you don’t count the title line of clause 17 of the Bill: “Rail Freight Target”. In the language with which the railway pioneers of 200 years ago would be comfortable, “the Secretary of State (that’s Heidi – at the moment) must set and publish a target to increase the use of the railway network in Great Britain for the carriage of goods.”
Insert squeal of brakes right here
Hold on. What happened to that defined target of increasing rail freight by 75% by 2050? Ah, well, that’s a target, isn’t it? It’s not actually legislation, laid down in a Bill before Parliament. It’s just “a target”, and hitting it is something else altogether. Don’t worry, though, the Bill has you covered. Right there, in clause 17 (page 9 of those 78 pages) you’ll find the caveat, “If the Secretary of State revises or replaces the target the Secretary of State must publish the revised or replacement target.” Well, that’s a relief. At least the Secretary will be compelled to let you know if she (or he) changes that target to, say: nothing.
For the sake of completeness, the rest of the Railways Bill’s devotion to freight runs to: “Great British Railways must, when exercising its statutory functions, have regard to the target set by the Secretary of State under this section, and any strategy or policy of the Scottish Ministers relating to the use of the railway network in Scotland for the carriage of goods.” If you do business in Wales, well, you’re speaking directly to Heidi or her successor. The devolved government in Cardiff doesn’t have responsibility for rail freight.
Those two mentions of rail freight hardly reflect the industry’s own ambitions for growth. Well, so as not to misrepresent the intentions of the legislation, passengers get two mentions as well – two hundred and thirty-nine mentions to be precise. All this assumes the Bill is actually passed, and David Lammy doesn’t get caught out by another absconded jailbird.