Rail reform has never been easy

Rail reform is back on track, as legislation was promised in the new Labour government's first King's speech to parliament. Everyone agrees that changes must be made to how the railway operates, but no structure has ever been perfect. Richard Foster delves into the history books to consider what we can learn from the best of railway times… and what to avoid from the worst of railway times…

“Britain’s railways are in a deepening crisis. There is significant consensus about the causes: perennial under-investment, fragmentation, inefficiency and waste, a lack of strategic direction, and, most recently, 14 years of tinkering around the edges and failing to address root causes.”

The introduction to Getting Britain Moving: Labour’s Plan to Fix Britain’s Railways pulls no punches. It reflects a feeling that seems to grow daily, both from passengers and those within the rail industry: Britain’s railways are ‘broken’ and need fixing.