New rail watchdog to give passengers a voice and hold railway to account

PLANS for a landmark bill to rewire Britain's railways, including:- setting up a powerful passenger watchdog to give passengers a voice and hold train operators to account have been unveiled by the Government on:- Tuesday, 18 February 2025.

This once in a generation overhaul will establish Great British Railways (GBR), a new body bringing track and train together, delivering reliable services for passengers and catalysing growth across the country.

Outlined in a consultation launched on:- 18 February 2024, the plans will smash a broken rail system, put passengers at the forefront of all decisions made on the railways, ending major failure and disruptions like the 2018 timetabling crisis.

Through this consultation the Government will be working with industry to rewire the railways and unite train and track, putting an end to outdated and inefficient processes which have resulted in poor performance, timetable chaos and complex fares and ticketing. It will also rightly be giving devolved leaders more of a say on the services that directly impact their Towns and cities, working together to integrate transport making it simpler to travel and attracting more people to our railways.

The new independent watchdog will be tasked with ensuring GBR addresses the issues that consistently rank highest in passenger complaints, rooting out the problems that cause poor journeys, ensuring passengers are given clear information when they travel, and help tackle the maze of confusing rail fares and tickets passengers have to navigate.

It will hold operators to account on behalf of passengers and arbitrate where passengers are not satisfied about the handling of a complaint. Working with the Transport Secretary and GBR, it will also be given the powers to set clear standards for passengers on things like journey information and assistance, investigate persistent problems, and publish reports on poor service. Where poor passenger experiences are identified, it will be able to refer this to the railway regulator for enforcement action.

Growth is at the heart of this Government's missions and the key priority in the Plan for Change which is why 1 of GBR's guiding principles will be to work closely with the private sector to create jobs and drive investment and innovation.

This includes:- investing billions of pounds in the private sector supply chain, so that improvements to the network are more coordinated, giving longer term assurance to businesses. A long term rail strategy will give industry certainty on what they can expect, including:- a long term plan for rolling stock.

Open access services will continue having a place on the network where they encourage growth, improve connectivity and provide more choice for passengers, as long as these benefits are not outweighed by costs to the taxpayer and impacts to performance.

Secretary of State for Transport Heidi Alexander said:- "Passengers have put up with broken railways for far too long. This landmark reform will sweep away decades of failure, creating a Great British Railways passengers can rely on. We're giving passengers a powerful voice with a new watchdog dedicated to addressing their biggest concerns, building railways people can trust, improving our services and boosting the economy in the process; the priority in our Plan for Change."

These plans are the next step in establishing GBR, which will end years of fragmentation by bringing track and train together in a unified, simplified railway. As part of the biggest overhaul to the network in a generation, we will be raising living standards and connecting people to work, education, healthcare and leisure, supporting growth across the country.

The consultation also looks more widely at far reaching reforms and how GBR will interact with the industry to effectively implement its plans to relentlessly focus on driving up standards, boosting our economy and ensuring our railways deliver the services passengers deserve.

Laura Shoaf, Chair of Shadow Great British Railways, said:- "GBR will fundamentally change our railways, delivering growth, connections and opportunities across the country. The plans set out today will mean a better railway for everyone that uses it, allowing industry to work closer together, putting passengers and customers 1st and providing better value for money for taxpayers."

Andy Burnham, Mayor of Greater Manchester, said:- "This is a once in a generation opportunity to overhaul how the railways are run; creating a service that puts passengers 1st, with more reliable trains and simpler fares and tickets. In Greater Manchester things are already changing. We're working in partnership with the Government and the rail industry on plans for the next phase of the Bee Network, to join up our trains, buses, trams, and active travel routes, moving from a fragmented system to 1 that is more accountable to our residents. We look forward to helping shape the bill, with a statutory role for Mayors and city-Regions in making the railways work for everyone."

This Government is already working to deliver reforms ahead of Great British Railways being set up, including:- simplifying fares and modernising ticketing. This includes:- the rollout of:- 'Pay As You Go' ticketing to give passengers the ability to travel more flexibly, and working with devolved leaders on plans for further expansion in Greater Manchester and the West Midlands.

In addition to this, our flagship Public Ownership Act, which achieved Royal Assent last year, will improve reliability and support the Government's number 1 priority of boosting economic growth, by encouraging more people to use the railway. This will also save taxpayers up to £150m a year that will be invested straight back into the railways rather than the pockets of private shareholders.

North East Mayor Kim McGuinness, said:- "Passengers are crying out for a rail service that works for them. We need our train services to be joined up and much more reliable; helping more people get to where they need to be for the right price. The North East is poised to make the most of the opportunity that rail reform presents to transform the network. Our recent North East Local Transport Plan public consultation shows most people want an integrated network, and that's what I will deliver in North East England. We are already taking steps to integrate rail ticketing in our Region with the Metro system but we are ready to do so much more."

The consultation started on:- 18 February and will last for 9 weeks.
 

Cabinet set to decide on proposed site for new girls' School

LIVERPOOL City Council's Cabinet is set to consider a report that will set in motion the development of a new girls' Secondary School in Toxteth, as well as identifying new community facilities for the African Caribbean community.

The report, that will be discussed at the:- Liverpool City Council Cabinet, that will be held on:- Tuesday, 25 February 2025, at:- 5pm. The report is asking that 5 Council owned parcels of land be made available for the Eden Girls' Leadership Academy which is part of the Star Academies Multi Academy Trust (MAT).

Three parcels of land, bordered by Upper Parliament Street, Mulgrave Street and Selborne Street, are currently occupied by the much loved African Caribbean Centre, and the report further recommends that new facilities are developed to support the community.

Discussions have already been held with the centre's leaders and consultation will begin to determine how the community's needs will be met and where the new facilities will be located, either on the existing site or nearby.

A further plot is leased to Liverpool Women's Hospital as an overflow car park with the final plot currently standing vacant.

Liverpool faces significant pressure to increase the number of Secondary School places and Eden Girls' Leadership Academy will eventually bring a further 600 places to Liverpool.

The School will have a Muslim faith designation, with potentially up to half of its pupils being Muslim, whilst pupils of all other faiths and none will also be welcomed into the School.

The School was approved under the Department for Education's Free Schools programme and Liverpool City Council is required to find a suitable site.

Cllr Nick Small, Cabinet Member for Growth and Economy, said:- "Finding sites for new Schools in Liverpool has been very difficult. Not only does a set of criteria set out by the Department for Education have to be met, we also need to find sites which support safe travel to School, and accessible to communities where the demand is highest. Star Academies MAT has a proven track record of providing high performing Schools and we look forward to welcoming them to the City."

Cllr Lila Bennett, Cabinet Member for Employment, Educational Attainment and Skills, said:- "In our meetings with the African Caribbean Centre's leaders, we have reinforced our commitment to providing improved modern facilities which meet the community's needs. The current centre has provided vital support in the heart of Toxteth, and we want to ensure that support can be provided for many decades to come. We will now step up our engagement with the community to ensure we co-design new facilities to meet the local need."