Keith Williams (and transport secretary Grant Shapps published their long awaited rail White Paper last week – but will it stand the test of time?

 
Keith Williams (left) and Grant Shapps

 
It was more than two and a half years ago that former British Airways CEO Keith Williams was signed up to chair a ‘root and branch’ review of rail industry structure. Last week, the Williams-Shapps Plan for Rail was finally published, promising an end to a quarter-century of fragmentation on the railways as they come under single, accountable national leadership.

Our plan is built around the passenger, with new contracts which prioritise excellent performance and better services, better value fares and creating clear leadership and real accountability when things go wrong

“Our plan is built around the passenger, with new contracts which prioritise excellent performance and better services, better value fares and creating clear leadership and real accountability when things go wrong,” said Williams last week.

The review, the latest in a long line of rail industry reviews, received a unanimous welcome from industry stakeholders – but can it become the ‘review to end all the reviews’, providing the railway with a robust structure that will stand the test of time?

The latest edition of Passenger Transport contains 10 pages of opinion on Plan for Rail. Our expert columnists broadly welcome the plan but also identify a range of challenges to overcome.

 
More on Plan for Rail:

  • Norman Baker – Great destination – but can we get there?
  • Thomas Ableman – Will GBR allow room for innovation?
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    This article appears alongside further coverage in the latest issue of Passenger Transport.

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