New Chair Appointed to Oversee UK Rail Reforms

The UK government has today announced the appointment of Laura Shoaf as Chair of Shadow Great British Railways (SGBR). Shoaf joins from West Midlands Combined Authority, where she was the current Chief Executive.

Shoaf is a seasoned transport leader, holding the Chief Executive role at WMCA since 2021 and will now be tasked with moulding the new Great British Railways which the government hopes will overhaul railway infrastructure and services.

Prior to her appointment, she served as Managing Director of Transport for West Midlands, where she oversaw significant investments in the region's transport infrastructure.

Speaking on her appointment, Shoaf said: The arrival of the railways fundamentally changed the United Kingdom – creating huge growth, new connections between communities, and opening the opportunity of jobs and adventure to people across the whole of the country.

"I recognise the great power that our transport network plays in our day to day lives, but in order for it to work, and in order for it to keep opening up these opportunities, it has to be built around our passengers and freight users.

"It is my privilege to have been asked to chair Shadow Great British Railways, and my focus will be ensuring people are at the heart of the railways and to ensure this remains a focus for years to come.”

Legislation on the establishment of GBR is currently in the process of being passed in parliament. However, the government has wasted no time in setting up SGBR since it gained power in July as it looks to bring passenger services back into public hands and unify track and train.

This has meant that leaders of Network Rail, the DfT’s Operator of Last Resort (DOHL) and DfT’s Rail Services Group will all sit within SGBR.

Transport Secretary Louise Haigh expressed her enthusiasm for Shoaf's appointment, stating, "Laura brings immense hands-on experience of delivering change, and a shared desire to move fast and deliver results. I'm looking forward to working with her to fix our railways and get Britain moving again."

Shoaf’s appointment however will not roll over to GBR once it is established. The DfT confirmed to RAIL it will be conducting another competition for the GBR Chair.

The news was welcomed by Rail Partners, who represents operator owning groups. It's Chief Executive, Andy Bagnall commented: "Congratulations to Laura Shoaf on her appointment as Chair of Shadow Great British Railways. Rail Partners and its members want to work with Laura to ensure rail reform delivers the improvements for passengers and freight customers that we all want to see."

Separately, the Passenger Railway Services (Public Ownership) Bill is due for its second reading on Monday.