Great British Railways to have statutory duty to promote use of rail freight

In a statement to both houses this week, she confirmed that the new body will have a requirement that guarantees freight an equal consideration in access to the rail network, despite GBR only having a direct managerial role in passenger operations.  According to her announcement, GBR will have a statutory duty to promote the use of rail freight, as well as an overall growth target for the network which will be set by the Secretary of State.  “The government will include safeguards to ensure that freight operators continue to receive fair access to the network,” she said.

The news comes as part of the announcement that Ms Haigh has instructed the CEO of Network Rail, the Director General for Rail Services in the Department for Transport and the CEO of DFT OLR Holdings (DOHL) to establish a shadow Great British Railways. These are the main organisations responsible for railway operations nationwide and the announcement will mean they now work more closely together to bring together track and train, before legislation is tabled to create Great British Railways as an arm’s length body.

For more information about Ms Haigh’s announcement, please see here: https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/establishing-a-shadow-great-british-railways

Published On: 12/09/2024 15:00:00

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