Rail passengers travelling to and from Derby Station won’t fail to notice a new billboard, congratulating the city for becoming the new home of Great British Railways (GBR) and calling on the Government to press ahead with rail reform.
The billboard, which has been commissioned by the Railway Industry Association (RIA), highlights how passenger numbers and freight are returning to close to pre-pandemic levels, with daily passenger levels averaging over 98% in April.
With such a strong recovery underway, ‘now is the time for the UK Government to push on with GBR legislation to deliver transformational change to the country’s railways’, the billboard says.
This comes two months after 70 industry leaders wrote to the Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, urging him not to delay in bringing forward legislation to enact the Government’s rail reform plans in the coming Parliamentary year.
Darren Caplan, RIA’s chief executive said: “Many congratulations to Derby, the soon-to-be home of Great British Railways (GBR). With both freight and passenger numbers rebounding strongly in the aftermath of the pandemic, it’s clear that rail has a bright future with Derby at GBR’s heart.
“But to maximise that bright future, we are clear that the Government needs to press ahead with plans to establish GBR as a matter urgency. The longer the Government stalls on GBR, and rail reform legislation, the longer the UK will be deprived of transformational change on the railways.
“We hope that this eye-catching new billboard will show that the rail industry stands ready to deliver, but we need the Government to play its part too.”
Image credit: Railway Industry Association
