Improving living standards for working people through economic growth was the central focus of new laws unveiled by His Majesty The King this morning (Wednesday 17 July) at the State Opening of Parliament.
The King’s Speech unveiled over 35 bills and draft bills which support delivery of the government’s first steps and missions to rebuild Britain. Among these, new legislation has been to create a simplified rail system by bringing rail services into public ownership once their contracts expire.
Transferring operations to the public sector is expected to save the taxpayer millions of pounds and end the fragmentation of the railways, establishing a more efficient and reliable rail service.
The government also introduced legislation to establish Great British Railways (GBR) which will be focused on improving services and creating better value for money for passengers. With Great British Railways, the fares and ticketing system will see simplified fares, discounts, and ticket types. The new body will also ensure that ticketing innovations like automatic compensation, digital pay-as-you-go and digital season ticketing are rolled out across the whole network.
Commenting on the news, Railway Industry Association (RIA) Chief Executive Darren Caplan said: “The Railway Industry Association (RIA) welcomes today’s King’s Speech as a strong legislative programme for driving growth by building sustainable infrastructure and improving transport.
“RIA and our members support the Government’s pledge to establish a reformed and unified railway system under Great British Railways focused on improving affordability, reliability and performance. A new body with strategic oversight and responsibility for rail can focus on meeting growing passenger demand and boosting industry revenues.
“Rail suppliers will also be positive about the previously announced plans to set out a strong and visible pipeline of rail work for the sector and to develop a long-term industrial strategy for rolling stock. Accelerating new train orders and low carbon network upgrades can fast-track growth by boosting jobs and skills across the UK and we would encourage the new Government to prioritise such investment. We look forward to more details of how these commitments will be implemented in due course.”
Rail union RMT, has broadly welcomed the King’s speech. General Secretary Mick Lynch said: “We welcome today’s announcements specifically around removing restrictions on trade unions, the New Deal for workers and the rolling out of public ownership of our railways.
“These achievements are down to pressure from the trade union movement, and we will continue to articulate what is in the best interests of railway workers and working people as a whole. We will also continue to actively engage with the government on the pay issues in our sectors which can be resolved quickly.
“Labour has also committed to upgrading rail connectivity in the North. Our belief is that HS2 remains the best option for improving transport links, promoting economic growth and building a modern railway infrastructure, fit for the 21st century.”
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