- Portsmouth South MP Stephen Morgan has welcomed the watershed moment as the beginning of the end of 30 years of fragmentation, frustration and poor performance
- Starting with SWR, each operator coming into public hands will meet tough performance standards
- Kicks off a reset of the railways to improve performance and win back public trust, boosting economic growth as part of this Labour Government’s Plan for Change
History has been made today as South Western Railway (SWR) services become the first to transfer back into public control, ending almost 30 years of fragmentation and waste under privatisation.
This follows the passing of the Public Ownership Act in November – one of the first major pieces of legislation to be delivered under the current Government – showing the Government’s commitment to putting an end to unreliable services and private profiteering at the expense of passengers, including in Portsmouth.
Great British Railways won’t just be the name of the new nationally owned railway, it symbolises a complete reset that will mark the high standard of service and delivery the public should expect to receive.
Commenting, Portsmouth South MP Stephen Morgan said:
“For far too long Portsmouth passengers have had to put up with unreliable and overpriced rail services.
“I’m delighted to see the process of bringing train operators under public ownership has started – saving the taxpayer millions and ensuring our railways are run by the passenger for the passenger.
“Given the years of neglect and waste, it will take time for our rail service to be up to the level Portsmouth people deserve, but this is a major step in the right direction in providing a better services for local people.”
In his previous role as Shadow Rail Minister, Mr Morgan played a key role in creating Labour’s bold reforms to deliver better, more reliable rail services for passengers.
Speaking from South Western Railway’s depot in Bournemouth, the Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander was clear that operators coming into public ownership will have to earn the right to be called “Great British Railways.”
Starting with SWR, each operator will have to meet rigorous, bespoke performance standards on things like punctuality, cancellation and passenger experience, so we can rebuild a world class public service.
Two thirds of Britons have already expressed their support for public ownership, which will save the taxpayer up to £150 million a year in fees alone and ensure every penny can be spent for the benefit of passengers.
Public ownership is a vital step in kickstarting the cultural reset needed to instil a sense of pride back into the railways, moving away from 14 siloed train operators – each with their own staff, incentives and competing commercial motivations -to being managed by one body – Great British Railways – with the sole focus of delivering for the public.
The Bill to create Great British Railways will be introduced this year.
By bringing track and train together, Great British Railways will enable operations to run more seamlessly, bringing accountability and reliability back into the railways and in turn helping to reduce delays and cancellations.
This will get more people using our trains to travel to work, education and for leisure – boosting both the national and regional economies as part of the Government’s Plan for Change.
Secretary of State for Transport Heidi Alexander said:
“Today is a watershed moment in our work to return the railways to the service of passengers. Trains from Waterloo to Weymouth, Bournemouth and Exeter, will be run by the public, for the public.
“But I know that people don’t care who runs the railway – they just want them to work. That’s why operators coming into public ownership will have to meet rigorous performance standards and earn the right to be called Great British Railways.
“We have a generational opportunity to restore national pride in our railways and I will not waste it.”
