Reset for railways must include commitment to HS2 and Northern Powerhouse Rail: Jacqueline Starr

After the precipitous decline in passengers at the start of the pandemic, Britain’s extensive rail network can once again encourage people to clamber aboard and explore. This week we are launching a new national campaign with the slogan “Let’s get back on track” which focuses on the importance of reconnecting with people, places and passions.

The eagle-eyed among you may have spotted Danby Station in the opening shots of the new advert. While the ability to travel is critical to the nation’s wellbeing, the true value of rail reaches far wider than simply the journeys people make.

Rail supports businesses and communities up and down the British Isles, including right here in Yorkshire. Economic research, published as part of our campaign, estimates that the total spending associated with leisure rail in Yorkshire amounted to £2.8bn per year before Covid arrived.

Getting people back on track will help drive a speedy and sustainable recovery, but we know many people still have concerns about taking public transport. That’s why we’re working hard to keep stations and trains clean, and improving information to help people select quieter services.

Ventilation on Britain’s modern and refurbished fleet is world class, refreshing the air every six to nine minutes and recent swab tests of surfaces at stations have shown no signs of the virus. It is unsurprising therefore that independent passenger research shows around nine in 10 people travelling by train say they felt safe doing so.

Of course, people plan to live differently after the pandemic. In particular, changes in working patterns that we may have predicted to happen gradually over the next decade have become reality in less than 18 months and so the rail industry can’t go back to life as it was in 2019.

We must change and move forward. The passengers of today need flexible and digital fares. It is not inevitable that people will return to rail but creating a fares system that meets their needs will be crucial in encouraging them to do so.

New flexible season tickets provide an alternative for many people and we want to go further and work with government to make it even easier for passengers.

Underlining the need for change is the industry’s challenging financial situation. Around £12bn has been set aside by the Government to keep trains running during the pandemic following a record drop in journeys. This decisive action was welcome, as it allowed the railway to keep people and products moving – getting doctors, nurses, and other key workers to where they needed to be and supermarket shelves stocked.

But even as we return to the network, the Government is still providing hundreds of millions of pounds a month to the railway. A new approach is needed to support the long-term sustainability of rail and, as an industry, we are working with government to find opportunities to work more efficiently in ways that benefit our passengers.

The pandemic has provided us with a once in a lifetime reset moment where we have the opportunity to ‘build back better’ and greener, with rail at heart of a fair recovery.

The Integrated Rail Plan (IRP) will soon outline how major rail projects will work together to deliver against levelling-up aspirations, but we need more clarity from Government, although delays have created uncertainty over when shovels will be put to ground, if ever.

Now is the right time to commit to HS2 and other projects such as Northern Powerhouse Rail which can deliver significant improvements for passengers and businesses across the region and, in doing so, help bridge the North-South divides.

This isn’t the first time the railway has faced challenges and needed to change, having supported the country through world wars and economic downturns. But past experience shows us that many people will travel again. We are ready to take action to deliver a better and stronger railway which can support the country and deliver new jobs and opportunities for people today, and for generations to come.

Jacqueline Starr is chief executive of the Rail Delivery Group.

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