Great British Railways: in public hands, for good

Credit: Marketing Derby

The Government has strengthened the Railways Bill by enshrining public ownership of Great British Railways (GBR) in legislation.

The amendment, introduced by the Government and passed during report stage in the House of Commons, requires that GBR must be publicly owned. Any future attempt to privatise the organisation would require a full Act of Parliament, placing any such decision firmly in the hands of elected representatives and protecting the railway from future privatisation.

Public ownership has been central to the Government’s approach to rail reform, and the amendment formalises this commitment in law – ensuring reforms deliver lasting change for generations to come.

The change will have no impact on GBR’s ability to attract private investment or work collaboratively with the private sector.

The Railways Bill is currently progressing through Parliament and will deliver the biggest reform to Britain’s railways in 30 years. Following Third Reading this evening the Bill will move to the House of Lords.

Responsible for coordinating the whole network – from track and train to cost and revenue – GBR will deliver lasting change and build a railway fit for Britain’s future. GBR is expected to be established in 2027, around 12 months after the Railways Bill receives Royal Assent.

Ahead of the establishment of GBR, the Government’s landmark rail reforms are already delivering results. Half of operators are now under public control and passengers are starting to feel the benefits: publicly owned operators are outperforming those still in private hands; South Western Railway has released around 40 new Arterio trains into service; and ticketing is getting simpler and cheaper, with the expansion of pay-as-you-go, simplified fares introduced in Greater Manchester, and passengers saving more of their hard-earned cash thanks to the first rail fare freeze in 30 years.

Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said: “For too long, decisions on our railways were made for private profit. This Government made a promise to change that, to build a railway run for the public good not private gain.

“Today we strengthened that promise, futureproofing Great British Railways to ensure it will always be in public hands.

“GBR will be run by industry experts and publicly owned – open to private investment with the flexibility to grow, but its founding purpose will always be the same: to serve passengers, not shareholders. Today takes us one step closer to delivering this lasting change and a railway this country deserves.”