A new ‘guiding mind’ for the rail industry has once again been mooted by Labour, with the party’s more detailed proposals for the railways starting to become clearer in the run-up to May’s General Election.
“As we all know, the industry is still too fragmented,” said Lilian Greenwood in a speech released to RAIL that had earlier been delivered to a select group of senior rail industry delegates at a private event in London in early February.
“It can be seen in the cost of running a network that is up to 40% less efficient than some of its European comparators.
“It could also be seen during the Christmas chaos, when passengers paid the price for poor communication between Network Rail and train operators.
“There is a clear need for better co-ordination. And that’s why the next Labour government is committed to establishing a guiding mind for the railways, to contract routes and co-ordinate services and skills in the industry.”
The policy has made its way to an amendment signed off by the party’s National Policy Forum, which agreed that the next Labour government will promise in its manifesto to “create a new guiding mind for the railways”.
- For more on this story, read RAIL 768, published on February 18.
Chris Hayward - 16/02/2015 11:57
As someone who had to deal with Labour's SRA I can tell you quite clearly we do not need yet another level of bureaucracy that will, like the SRA, be designed solely to insulate Ministers from criticism. Some of the stories would make your hair curl! Like a certain consortium having £250,000 wasted because the SRA 'changed their mind'. If we want to see the consequences of how Labour constructs things look no further than the 'private' Network Rail and how all their debt ended up on the Treasury books. Labour really want to nationalise the railways but don't have the guts to go and do it so construct complex, expensive organisations to achieve the same control without the responsibility.