The Government is to bring privately run passenger contracts into the public sector as they expire as part of its new Railways Bill, announced in the King’s Speech on 17 July.
A shadow Great British Railways will be set up before primary legislation is passed to ‘unite key industry bodies in collaboration ahead of the formal establishment of GBR and establishing a new approach to industrial relations.’
On the following day, 18 July, the Government introduced the Passenger Railway Services (Public Ownership) Bill which will allow it to bring passenger services into public ownership by amending legislation to make appointing a public sector the default position rather than a last resort.
In line with manifesto commitments and its Getting Britain Moving document published in April 2024, the Labour Party says it will bring management and operation of passenger services into Great British Railways, which will act as a ‘directing mind’. A new passenger watchdog called the Passenger Standards Authority will independently monitor standards, while GBR will reform dares and ticketing.
GBR will have a statutory d…
