Government urged to provide timetable for rail reforms

Rail reforms will have a significant impact on Londoners, yet there has been little progress by Government in implementing these changes.

The Williams-Shapps Plan for Rail was published in May 2021 and outlined the Government’s plans to reform rail services by bringing all railways under one public body – Great British Railways.

Since the announcement, there have been very few updates on the reforms, and there is still no clear timetable for implementation.

The London Assembly Transport Committee has today published a letter which has been sent to The Rt Hon Mark Harper MP, Secretary of State for Transport, outlining the Committee’s concerns regarding delays to rail reforms, and the uncertainty this is causing for passengers in London.

Chair of the Transport Committee, Sian Berry AM, said:

“Londoners’ daily lives depend on having fit-for-purpose rail services.

“The Williams-Shapps Plan for Rail would be an exciting opportunity to improve travel for Londoners, but there must be a clear plan in place for delivery from the Government, and we are concerned about the slow progress so far.

“Our committee has carried out a number of investigations across a number of meetings on what the Plan for Rail will look like and how it will affect Londoners.

“With no timetable set by Government, we have today written to the Secretary of State for Transport asking for the reasons for these delays and for him to outline a clear implementation plan.

“I hope we will receive a speedy response to provide more certainty for the travelling public.”