Great British Railways, the proposed new overarching body for infrastructure and train management, is to have a statutory requirement to promote rail freight. That much has been made clear by Louise Haigh, the UK Transport Secretary. She revealed her intentions in a statement made to both Houses of Parliament in London.

The reshaping of the British railway industry will include a commitment to freight that guarantees equal consideration in access to the network. Great British Railways (GBR) will have a direct managerial role in the passenger framework. However, it will be required to promote freight operations despite that sector remaining in private hands.

Main organisations working in closer collaboration

Louise Haigh took up her ministerial post on the election of the new Labour-led government in July. She has told parliament that fulfilling the pledge to renationalise the railways has officially begun. “I will be instructing the CEO of Network Rail [Andrew Haines], the Director General for Rail Services in the Department for Transport [Alex Hynes], and the CEO of DfT OLR Holdings Ltd (DOHL) [Robin Gisby] to establish a Shadow Great British Railways,” she said. Her statement was conveyed to the House of Lords by Peter Hendy, her rail minister currently embroiled in a bullying scandal over the sacking of a whistle-blowing engineer.

“As the main organisations responsible for the operational railway, they will be working in closer collaboration,” Haigh said. “[They will be] bringing together track and train to deliver for passengers and freight users, ahead of legislation to create Great British Railways (GBR) as an arm’s length body. Of the three executives charged by the Transport Secretary, Alex Hynes perhaps has the most relevant recent experience. He was recently appointed to government from his post as Managing Director at ScotRail, which is already run directly by the Scottish government.

An important step in rail reform

According to the government directive, GBR will have a statutory duty to promote the use of rail freight alongside an overall growth target set by the Secretary of State. “The Government will include safeguards to ensure that freight operators continue to receive fair access to the network,” said the Transport Secretary. Louise Haigh has frequent opportunities to see the network first-hand. Her Sheffield constituency is readily accessed by rail from her London office. She is aware that there are competing interests for the plum route. “Open access operators have a proven track record in driving competition and better passenger outcomes,” she said. “Where there is a case that open access operators can add value and capacity to the network, they will be able to.”

The recent announcement of a relaxation in access charges for using the railway was a token move in the right direction, which gained approval from the industry. “The establishment of Shadow Great British Railways marks an important step in rail reform,” said Maggie Simpson, Director General of the industry representative body, the Rail Freight Group.

“We welcome the commitment to rail freight in the Government’s statement. This includes measures to deliver improvements for freight users, a statutory duty to promote rail freight and a growth target. Businesses across the UK that use rail freight as an essential part of their supply chains will welcome this assurance. In particular, freight users need certainty that there will be long-term capacity guaranteed on the network for freight, at an affordable price, and that private sector investment will be encouraged in support of growth.”