The Rail Review issued a ‘call for evidence’ at the start of December. The challenge for the review’s chair, Keith Williams, is to produce recommendations that deliver a robust, long-term framework for the industry, proof against meddling by future governments of any political colour, without the risks inherent in a major reorganisation.
Emotionally, I guess many Modern Railways readers would support vertical integration, with the network divided up into separate regions, rather like the ‘Big Four’ structure which existed from 1922 to nationalisation in 1947 (little longer than the current semi-privatised structure!). But I am not convinced. If, for example, the East Coast main line and its branches were set up as a vertically integrated railway, it would not be the operator for the majority of trains running on its infrastructure, so such a structure would not in reality avoid the numerous interfaces that exist today. The East Coast is a capacity constrained, inherently complex operation; would freight operators, TransPennine Express and CrossCountry ever have real confidence in a company whose prime interest was the London inter-city services? And how would the criti…
