Darling to go for radical rail review
Transport Secretary Alistair Darling may announce a major review of Britain’s railways in a statement to the Commons on Monday, with the work of the rail regulator, the Strategic Rail Authority (SRA), likely to be seriously overhauled.
Although the government will undoubtedly balk at re-nationalising the part-privatised sector, it is aware that managers at Network Rail, the body that oversees the upkeep of the Britain’s trains and bridges, have failed to improve performance since Hatfield and the demise of Railtrack.
The review might reassess the role of the independent Office of the Rail Regulator, which sets track access charges.
And Mr Darling may take safety regulation away from the Health and Safety Executive.
He is rumoured to be interested in setting up eight regional authorities to run the railways, to foster better links between the rail operators and the rail network.
Richard Bowker, who receives a quarter of a million pounds a year for his job as the SRA chief, has rejected claims his days would be numbered if regional authorities became a reality.
A Department of Transport spokesman said: “He has not resigned, we have not asked him to resign and we are not going to ask him to resign.”
Professor David Begg, chairman of the Commission for Integrated Transport, said it would be a “retrograde step” to dilute the powers of the SRA.
Prof Begg told the BBC: “The Strategic Rail Authority was created with a specific purpose in mind. It was to be a non-departmental government body which had the expertise and provided leadership to a very fragmented industry.
“While the SRA in its early days took some time to get into gear, recent performance, I believe, has been very good and I think it would be wrong at this time to change the powers.
“If the Strategic Rail Authority were to be downgraded, I think that would be a retrograde step.”
The government’s plans to reform the rail system by taking more control over its maintenance are a ‘big step in the right direction’, an advisor from the Commission for Integrated Transport has said.
He said it was important the railways were made more co-ordinated and streamlined.
“There’s an awful lot of hands on the levers of power in the railway industry – too many of them.
“If the government are planning to simplify the structure, make it less fragmented, then that must be a big step in the right direction.”
Stuart Francis, chairman of the Railway Passengers’ Council, said yesterday despite record injections of funding, passengers were not seeing results on the ground.
“We need a vision for transport in this country in which I believe rail should play a central part.”
Theresa May, Tory transport spokesperson, said there was no clear government strategy for Britain’s ailing railways.
She said: “Its looking increasingly as if there isn’t any strategy.
“The great thoughts there were within the government’s ten year transport plan are now in shreds.”
