Labour launches plan for rail

Labour will today reveal its plan for rail as it heads towards the election, expected later this year.

Shadow Transport Secretary, Louise Haigh will outline plans to pursue the creation of the Great British Railways (GBR) body which it intends to be led by “rail experts” rather than Whitehall. However, the plan also includes the creation of a new passenger watchdog, the Passenger Standards Authority.

But the creation of GBR is one part of Labour’s plan, as Haigh will also announce a clear move towards public ownership of the nation’s railways, by aiming to bring government passenger contracts once they expire into the public sector within its first term of office, reversing privatisation by the end of 2029 at the latest. This it believes will prove better value for money for the taxpayer than buying operators out of their contracts early.

All these changes will be guided by a long-term strategy that will review the role of rail in the country’s economic growth and levelling-up agenda alongside its aims to achieve net zero.

Haigh will say at her speech on Thursday that renationalisation will “not be easy and it will take hard graft, but it will be my mission to get us to the right destination and to deliver for the Great British passenger.”

The party is keen to tackle productivity, which it sees rail reform as key to improving and one area it feels the Conservatives have neglected during its term in office.

Haigh will say: “It is passengers who pay the price, through being stranded because of cancellations, through being unable to work as they travel because there’s no internet, through overcrowded and unpleasant trains,”

The party has also pledged support for open access operators and expanding upon the rail freight sector, which the current government has set a growth target of 75% in net freight by 2050, which it set in December 2023.

Labour hasn’t given a target for freight growth in its plan however it has said it will be setting clear objectives and targets for services and growth within those sectors.

The Rail Freight Group (RFG) welcomed the Labour Party’s commitment to rail freight growth, with Maggie Simpson, RFG director general commenting: “We are pleased that the Labour Party have highlighted the huge economic potential of rail freight and are committed to measures including statutory duties for freight and long-term growth targets.

"Our members are working to get more goods moving by rail, and we strongly welcome this support.”

Railway Industry Association (RIA) chief executive, Darren Caplan said: “We welcome the pledge to make rail reform a priority early in the next parliament, which would give certainty to our members about the future structure of the railway industry, and the commitment to a long-term strategy, which RIA has been calling for in recent years.”

@rwilcockrail