A vibrant, efficient infrastructure is key to any country and Great Britain is no exception. Without this in place, there is simply no reliable or functioning base to help daily life run smoothly. Of course, many things go into the infrastructure which helps a country like Great Britain to operate. This covers everything from road networks to water works, electrical grids, telecoms and beyond.
Public transport networks are certainly key and enable people to travel freely in an efficient manner. This is not only important for the business sector in Britain but for people’s personal lives too. Railways play a central role here and details of the Government’s bold new vision for the rail industry certainly caught people’s eye. But what might this proposed re-structuring of Britain’s railways include?
Substantial privatisation remains in place
The headline grabbing news for many was that the rail industry in the UK is set to be rebranded as “Great British Railways.” This left many people hoping that the sector would be renationalised and fall under full Government control, as was the case for British Rail. This does not look likely to happen though.
Instead, it appears that the rail network in Britain will remain substantially privatised and simply given an overhaul to make it run more efficiently. This sees the whole industry set to be simplified in order to inject new life into an ailing system.
PPC looks to be the way forward
Although large amounts of privatisation will remain in place moving ahead, the Government’s recent White Paper did set out how a new public body would have control of rail services. As a result, the rebranded “Great British Railways” is set to be a classic PPP (or Public Private Partnership). In a PPP, private firms work in partnership with public bodies to offer a better service.
But how might this pan out? It seems that the new public body will award contracts for private firms to run certain sections of UK railways, with rewards given to those who run an efficient, punctual service. Great British Railways (which is the public part of this new approach) will plan the network along with running it and providing information, compensation and tickets to passengers. It is also set to take over streamlining fares and bringing in new contactless/pay-as-you-go payments for passengers.
PPP approach set to boost key UK infrastructure
There is no doubt that the railway system in the UK has been in trouble for a while now. Everyone remembers the timetable charade of 2018 for example and the way service has seemed to steadily decline, as private firms pushed prices up. By blending the public with the private in this new plan, Prime Minister Boris Johnson is set to hopefully give passengers a better service.
It should bring the best of what private enterprise and public accountability offers to UK rail users. After many years of fragmentation and confusion, having one national brand in “Great British Railways” should help massively. If this works as intended and the project management is right, it should see UK railways improve and help the countries whole infrastructure get better.
Devil is in the detail
Of course, the new plans are only outlined in a Government White Paper currently. Andy Bagnall, Rail Delivery Group director, noted recently that the changes promised were something train operators had been asking for and the key to getting it right will be in the fine details.
The PPP approach has not gone down well in all political spheres, with Shadow Transport Secretary Jim McMahon airing concerns that the plans had little substance to them. While we need to wait and see exactly how the White Paper proposals are fulfilled, if the public/private approach can revitalise this key part of the UK infrastructure then it will be a big success.
