Responding to the Labour Party reconfirming its commitment to public ownership of the railway, Andy Bagnall, Chief Executive of Rail Partners, said:
‘It’s not unexpected but still disappointing that Labour will contest the next election promising to end the positive contribution of private sector operators to the railway. To focus on ownership rather than outcomes, is to discount the proven track record of train companies, who have grown the railway in the past, doubling passenger numbers and increasing services - as well as making innovations, like introducing cheap advance purchase tickets.
'As we come out of the pandemic, operators with commercial freedom are attracting passengers back faster than those without, helping to restore the industry financially.
'The right reform for the railway is a reinvigorated public-private partnership that focuses on the customer, grows revenue to reduce reliance on the taxpayer, and delivers the wider economic and environmental benefits flowing from that.’
Rail Partners exists to make the railway better by harnessing the expertise and creativity of private sector operators for the benefit of those who use the railway, passengers and freight customers, and those who pay for it, including taxpayers.
