Phil Swann’s Post

In our latest insight article, Dr Stuart Thomson, Founder of CWE Communications dissects Labour's rail reform plans. "Labour's plans for changes to the railways received significant media attention. Whilst the number of bus journeys is huge, rail dominates attention. By developing a plan for rail, Labour has taken back control of the transport debate."   Read our latest insight article here https://bit.ly/3JG7l4g

What do we think? a good move or is there other priorities ‘we’ should be targeting to drive change and efficiency in the UK Rail market? Comment below please with your thoughts 👇🏼 https://lnkd.in/dti_VXhi

Interesting article here by #railbusinessdaily on the transformation of Britain's railways from the Labour Party. It's an important debate and my view is that an integrated national rail network would be positive for the UK's growth and would be a step forward in terms of addressing regional inequalities. For it to succeed it will require a strategic roadmap including long-term goals uncovering all the complex interdependencies within the system, so that decision-makers can align their actions to the overarching goals of the network. https://lnkd.in/eezyjee2

Wow - big news from Labour who announced they would re-nationalise UK Railways within 5 years as current TOC contracts expire: https://lnkd.in/e5xtrBtu I can't say the performance of the last period of public ownership of the railways was something to return to, and we cannot ignore that the current issues with rail operations and salary protests are heavily influenced by the significant and increasing cuts to the rail subsidy, which is in sharp contrast to the continued healthy support that European railways get to ensure a sustainable travel choice is attractive to passengers. I'd say that it's not about the ownership model, it's the Chancellors repeated choices that private vehicle fuel duty has been frozen low for years, air passenger duty kept low while at the same time public transit support has been slashed.

Labour would renationalise passenger rail services within 5 years. The Labour Party says it expects to renationalise most passenger rail services within its first term, if elected. Central to its plan is setting up a publicly owned body which will retain the Great British Railways name proposed under the Government’s own rail reform plans. Under Labour’s plan Great British Railways will inherit passenger rail contracts currently held by private firms as they expire, although the plan does not use the term "nationalisation". Under the Conservative’s delayed rail reforms Great British Railways would be responsible for rail infrastructure and awarding contracts to private operating companies. Although Rail Minister Huw Merriman said Labour’s plans were "pointless" and "unfunded", since the Covid pandemic the Government has in effect taken control of what is widely seen as a failing railway system. Most train companies in England have moved onto contracts where they get a fixed fee to run services, and the taxpayer carries the financial risk. Four major operators have also been taken under public control and are being run by the government's Operator of Last Resort model... Find out more 👉 https://buff.ly/3Uzx2tq #rail #railway #railindustry #nationalisation

https://lnkd.in/e8sihB-G Our rail network doesn't work in its current state. It is far too expensive compared with our European peers and the high fares discourage its use. If we want more people to use the rail network we need lower fares and to ensure that our fares are clear and transparent regardless of where you are travelling too. In addition, and as part of the green agenda, we need to get more people and indeed freight companies onto the rail network, and we need to electrify and modernise the entire network including the rolling stock. Investing in our national infrastructure is a sensible approach for any Labour government as it will help to grow the economy and assist with the levelling up agenda that the current government has failed to deliver. Paying dividends to private investors and diverting much needed funds from the network is perhaps not the right approach.

UK Labour Party rail plan reviewed Politics and the railways often share the same stage. They have never been closer than they are today. Britain is anticipating a general election, and railway reform is very much on the agenda. The industry is mired in controversy over government influence and a toxic series of industrial disputes. Every political party has ideas on… https://lnkd.in/egmkNqcn #railindustry #rail #railtech

The Labour Manifesto is now out! We already knew the headline for rail would be re-nationalisation of passenger services and there are no surprises for those who have already read “Getting Britain Moving”. Some very high level themes on rail: - There is welcome ongoing support for rail freight and open access. Freight will be key to Labour demonstrating where the private sector can contribute and I am hopeful freight growth and its associated schemes will be adequately supported. - Re-nationalisation of passenger services is outlined at a high level. This could come in many flavours and likely to still involve the private sector in the short to medium term. A huge opportunity over the summer for organisations to influence what this looks like.  - Affordability of passenger services is mentioned. It will be really interesting to see what policy choices Labour make to implement this. Will they address the taxpayer/fare payer balance or try to fund it through savings? As I highlighted in my review of the Conservative manifesto, it will be interesting to see how easy it actually is to make savings. I am assuming fares reform will be part of this. - For the supply chain there’s a commitment to project pipeline certainty. This is a huge win for the supply chain if implemented as they have been lobbying for this for some years - it’s great they have recognition in the manifesto. #railways #rail #policy #transport #positioning #policy #strategy #policymakers #stakeholders #election #generalelection #politics #conservatives #labour #labourparty #manifesto #ge2024

This is likely to play well with voters. But - as ever the devil is in the detail. Directionally however, I think nationalisation, with aspects of service contracted to private operators, makes sense. I say that having been involved in rail franchise bidding with private operators in the past, and it was clear then that privatisation did bring with it a significant amount of fragmentation, waste, duplication and disconnected processes and services. But fundamentally, it has always been the Government that has set the budgets and financial strategy for rail, and therefore nationalisation won't really, in itself, change the big problems facing the industry - funding and reliability. Until pay deals are sorted, we get resilience back into the system and investments enable the kind of infrastructure really needed (particularly in the north), no amount of nationalisation will really help build trust in the rail services we need. https://lnkd.in/eTgUexcm

❓RAIL CONTACTS PLEASE GIVE YOUR THOUGHTS AND OPINIONS❓ What do the people working in the industry think? "David Pitt, VP of UK Rail at Silver Rail" “Labour’s pledge highlights critical and long-overdue discussions about the future of our rail system. However, it’s important that driving for change in the industry isn’t viewed as a political issue, but rather a necessity to enhance operational efficiencies and improve passenger experiences. “While nationalisation debates will undoubtedly continue, it is crucial that all parties – government, unions, and the private sector – collaborate to address immediate concerns such as service reliability and customer satisfaction. We believe that rather than being a black and white issue in terms of nationalisation or privatisation, there is room for an improved middle-ground approach that combines elements of public oversight with private sector innovation and competition. “This may represent a positive path forward, allowing for the best of both worlds in terms of accountability and efficiency. Our goal remains clear: to ensure rail travel becomes the first choice for passengers across the UK. Let’s not allow necessary reforms to the rail system to stagnate in political discourse. Instead, we must take decisive action to move from potential to reality, making the railway system efficient, affordable, and passenger-centric.” "Andy Bagnall, Rail Partners CEO" "Over time, the increased costs to the taxpayer of nationalisation due to the loss of commercial focus from private train companies will lead to either reduced train services or increased subsidy. That means rail competing for funding with other public services like the NHS. Historically, British Rail often lost this battle. Train companies agree that change is needed for the railways, but nationalisation is a political rather than a practical solution which will increase costs over time. Creating a thriving railway for customers and taxpayers does not have to be an ideological choice between a monopoly railway in public hands and one that delivers private investment and innovation through franchising. Labour’s proposals are also moving in the exact opposite direction to what we’re seeing across Europe where other governments are seeking to copy the previous successes of the British model using competition amongst train companies – both for contracts and on the tracks – to reduce subsidies for taxpayers and provide a better service for passengers.  Ejecting private train companies from the railway will create a prolonged and messy transition at a time when we need all parts of the railway to pull together to deliver for passengers and freight customers." Railsafe GroupRail Delivery GroupRailX UK LtdRail ExpressRail Safe FriendlyRailway ForumRailway marketRail Knowledge & NewsRail Transport NewsRail MediaThe Rail MediaRail Net Zero 360 Summit