The rail network will be renamed Great British Railways as part of a restructuring aimed at simplifying the organizational chaos of the franchise system and rebuilding passenger numbers following COVID-19.
A quarter of a century after the demolition of British Rail and the privatization of the network, the new public body will assume responsibility for Network Rail for tracks and stations, as well as for ticketing, timetables and network planning.
Transport Secretary Grant Shapps has said he will provide responsible leadership under “a national brand of trust, Great British Railways, which everyone will know and I hope will come to like”.
Grant Shapps said he hopes people like the new brand
The Great British Railways brand will use a modified version of the British Rail double arrow logo but this is not a return to nationalization.
Trains will still be operated by private companies under new “passenger service contracts” which will replace dysfunctional franchise agreements.
Operators, many of whom are owned by public European rail companies, will be paid to provide specific services, with incentives to increase the number of passengers and “deliver high quality services”.
As part of the response to the pandemic, which has reduced the number of passengers by around two-thirds, new flexible season tickets for people traveling two or three days a week will be available from the end of June.
The new system is similar to the Transport for London model, in which private operators operate services, including the Docklands Light Railway, under central control.
Mr Shapps told Sky News: “We put passengers first, we make sure trains run on time and we have a national brand for our railways, which will be Great British Railways, which will collect fares, manage the services and make sure we are there for the public. “
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Source: news.sky.com
This notice was published: 2021-05-19 17:10:00
