Rail passengers have been promised a better and more efficient service under the biggest shake-up in decades.
(from the BBC)
A new state-owned body, Great British Railways (GBR), will set timetables and prices, sell tickets in England and manage rail infrastructure.
Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said it would replace an “overcomplicated and fragmented” system.
He told the BBC the changes did not mean fares would inevitably rise, but could not give guarantees.
Asked on Today if the changes meant rising ticket prices, Mr Shapps said: “No, is the answer”. But he added: “I’m not here to give guarantees for years to come.”
He pointed out that the taxpayer had plugged a £12bn hole during the coronavirus crisis to keep the railways operating and fares were subsidised, but said there was no “hidden agenda”.
“Of course any government in the future will have to weigh those things up,” he said.
Flexible season tickets
Under the reforms:
- All tickets will be sold by GBR in the future, ending the system where passengers must buy them from multiple companies online and in stations
- There will be a “significant rollout” of more pay as you go, contactless and digital ticketing on smartphones
- And from next month flexible season tickets will be available for some people who commute two or three times a week.
The flexible season tickets will offer savings on certain routes for people who do not travel to work every day, reflecting the expected changes to commuting patterns after the pandemic.
They are due to go on sale on 21 June for use seven days later, and will allow passengers to travel on any eight days in a 28-day period.
The reforms follow the chaotic introduction of new timetables in May 2018 and years of complaints about the “fragmented” franchising system, which has been scrapped.
GBR will replace the current track operator, Network Rail, but it probably will not be launched until 2023.
The government says the new system will look more like Transport for London, with multiple operators under one brand, offering greater accountability.
The full report can be found by clicking here
It is a bit of a full circle you might think having axed British Rail thirty years ago, we will see a new organisation, Great British Railways arrive next year!