Darling ruminates on SRA shake-up
Transport Secretary Alistair Darling is expected to tell MPs on Monday that more of Britain’s railways will have to fall back under political control.
Faced with spiralling costs and little discernible sign of improvement in rail performance, despite significant investment, Mr Darling may take some control away from industry regulators to reinvigorate the sector.
The Department of Transport could be planning changes or the abolition to the Strategic Rail Authority, the rail regulator. One change could be the way the SRA hands out rail franchises.
Mr Darling may also announce plans to restructure the Office of the Rail Regulator and Network Rail.
It was rumoured yesterday that Mr Darling was close to sacking Sir Richard Bowker, chairman of the SRA.
But Ceri Evans, the SRA’s communications director, said: “Richard has not been sacked and has not resigned.”
Mr Darling has ruled out “a return to British Rail.”
