Public ownership of rail takes centre stage as Government plans radical overhaul of transport

Passengers across the country will have better train services thanks to a new transport bill which was set out in the King’s Speech.

The Passenger Railway Services (Public Ownership) Bill was introduced to Parliament on 18th July.

After years of unacceptably low performance, the bill is a landmark change that will allow the Government to bring rail passenger services back into public ownership, amending legislation to make appointing a public sector operator the default, rather than a last resort.   

Transport Secretary Louise Haigh said: “This is a clear signal of intent. Rail reform is at the heart of this King’s Speech.  As Passenger-in-Chief, I said we’d move fast and fix things and that’s exactly what we’re doing with this weighty, radical legislative agenda. 

“Our transport system is broken, but the bill will pave the way for better trains that work for everyone, no matter where you live.

“After years of inefficiency, we’re two weeks in and the first steps towards rail reform are being taken today. Change starts now.”

Railways are seen as essential in ensuring connectivity for all kinds of people across the country and unlocking their full potential is essential to growing the economy and lowering emissions from transport.

A statement said that the privatisation model is failing passengers day-in, day-out but that publicly-owned passenger rail will put an end to years of waste and fragmentation on our railways and establish a more efficient, higher quality and reliable service.

The new laws will ensure rail services are run with the passenger put first.

With five bills, transport has the biggest legislative agenda, with plans to deliver the biggest overhaul to transport in a generation.  

The transport bills set out in the King’s Speech will be essential to delivering the Prime Minister’s missions for Government, and will be mission critical for kickstarting economic growth, unlocking opportunities across the country, and accelerating to net zero.

The commitments also see the Transport Secretary delivering on her strategic priorities which were set out recently.