I beg to move that this bill (the Railways Bill) be now read a third time.
Mr Speaker, with your indulgence, I’d like to start my remarks today with a short story.
This time two years ago, like many colleagues on the government benches today, I wasn’t a sitting MP. I was a parliamentary candidate standing for the first time to represent my home town of Swindon – a place with a proud railway heritage, with its people unashamedly ambitious for the future.
When I stood in that election, I stood on a promise of renationalising our railways. There were some who doubted whether we would ever do it.
But as this bill heads off to the other place for its next stage of parliamentary scrutiny, I say to the doubters – this is what change looks like.
A government doing what it said it would do in its manifesto.
A government delivering for the ordinary men and women who use our railways, the businesses who depend on our railways, and the staff who work on them.
A government replacing a privatised system which was corroding in a state of perpetual decline, with one where there is now new hope.
When I stood at London Bridge station last December, as we unveiled the new Great British Railways (GBR) branding and train livery, I saw hope in the eyes of the passengers I spoke to.
Hope for a better, more reliable railway.
Hope for an end to waiting for trains that never arrive.
Hope for the basics of working toilets, enough seats, and simple fares.
Because if we’re honest, hope has been in short supply on the railways for far too long.
For years, the industry delivered poorer performance for higher prices.
As a nation, we spent billions on upgrading infrastructure, but a fragmented system couldn’t translate that into passenger benefits.
We’ve had 30 reviews since 2006 – all diagnosing and re-diagnosing the same problems.
Yet the previous government weren’t able, weren’t willing, to do the hard work to create solutions.
Madam Deputy Speaker, today, we make that change.
Thanks to this bill, we will deliver the biggest reform to our railways in 30 years.
Where there is fragmentation, we will bring integration.
Where decisions used to be made for private profit, they will now be made for the public good.
And where passengers were forced to navigate multiple companies and unclear accountabilities, they will soon deal with one railway, one team, with one mission – to deliver better services for the travelling public.
Progress
Before I summarise the main features of this bill, I’d like to remind Honourable Members what we’ve already achieved.
Already, over half of operators are under public control, thanks to legislation we introduced weeks after entering office.
And the benefits are starting to be felt.
Around 40 new Arterio Trains on South Western – rolling stock that was sat for years in the sidings under privatisation – now released into service.
Performance amongst operators under public control now outstripping those still in private hands.
Pay as you go ticketing being rolled out to more stations across the South East. Easier to understand fares in Greater Manchester.
And passengers keeping more of their hard-earned cash, thanks to the first rail fares freeze in 30 years.
But, Madam Deputy Speaker, this bill will be the most significant step yet.
GBR
For decades, the industry has been crying out for coherent direction and leadership.
And with Great British Railways that is what they will get.
A single national leader – coordinating track and train, setting timetables and fares.
GBR will sweep away decades of inefficiency and waste – finally bearing down on spiralling costs.
We will wave goodbye to a system riddled with perverse incentives – where armies of lawyers argue over whose fault a delay is.
Instead, GBR will be a publicly owned and commercially agile company.
Run by industry experts, not politicians.
We will turn a web of competing interests into one railway that makes decisions in the customer interest, and their interest alone.
Passengers
Madam Deputy Speaker, let me now turn to passengers.
I am not ashamed that GBR will be obsessed with delivering for its customers. In fact, it will have a statutory duty to promote their interests.
That starts with ticketing – currently a mind bendingly complex system.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again buying a ticket should be effortless.
Fares should be simple and consistent – where passengers know they’re always getting the best value. And under GBR, they will.
A new GBR ticketing app and website will give you the ability to buy tickets, check train times, and access a range of support all from the palm of your hand.
No booking fees – no navigating lots of websites – just a 21st century way of paying for a service.
And if passengers are let down, if accessibility falls short, if performance isn’t up to scratch – they’ll have a powerful champion fighting their corner a strengthened Passenger Watchdog.
Access and freight
Madam Deputy Speaker, GBR will also manage access decisions in relation to track capacity, enabling us to unlock the full potential of the whole network.
But it also means unleashing the huge economic and environmental potential of freight.
Rail remains the best way to send bulky goods long distance.
Which is why GBR will have a legal duty to promote rail freight in line with our 2050 freight target.
GBR represents a simpler, more transparent railway to do business with.
No longer will suppliers need to make their case to multiple parts of the network. GBR will be the single decision maker, able to take a long term view, and give the private sector the confidence and certainty it needs.
Acknowledgments
Mr Speaker, I’d like to finish by thanking all members who have taken part in the debates on this bill so far, particularly the Transport Select Committee for their diligent approach.
All members of the Public Bill Committee for completing the painstaking task of line by line scrutiny.
The Honourable Members on the front bench opposite.
As well as colleagues sat on the backbenches for their vital perspectives.
I would like to thank the under-secretary of state for Aviation, Maritime and Decarbonisation for handling the passage of this bill so dutifully and ably.
I’d also like to thank the Rail Minister over in the other place.
And finally, a huge thanks to all the officials in my department who have worked so hard to get the bill to this stage.
Conclusion
Madam Deputy Speaker, this government promised to fix what was broken in our economy and reform what doesn’t work. That’s why this bill matters.
We will fix our broken railways, and while I can’t promise it will all be achieved overnight, I can say this.
Will GBR put the needs of passengers and freight users above all else? Absolutely, yes.
Will passengers soon see the difference in ticketing, in reliability, in a railway that is easier to use? Most definitely.
Will GBR help unlock economic growth, housebuilding and opportunity across the country? Undoubtedly.
This bill draws a line under the decline and dysfunction of the past.
Today, we are bringing hope back to our railways.
I commend this bill to the House.
