GBRTT Latest News Round-Up April 2024

Welcome to the Great British Railways Transition Team (GBRTT) (GBRTT) stakeholder news round-up.

Here you will find updates on GBRTT’s work enabling a whole-railway approach to create a simpler, better railway for everyone in Britain.

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Draft Rail Reform Bill goes under the Transport Select Committee’s microscope

When we last wrote to you, the draft Rail Reform Bill had just been published. It was an important milestone, moving us a step closer to delivering structural reforms which will make rail easier to use for customers, simpler to do business with, and cheaper to run for taxpayers.

As a reminder, the draft legislation would bring together responsibility for both rail infrastructure and services in a single organisation - Great British Railways - by transferring the franchising powers currently held by the Secretary of State.

The draft legislation is now making its way through a process of pre-legislative scrutiny, which is being managed by Transport Select Committee. Here’s what to expect:

·?A call-for-evidence closed on 27 March

·?We expect the committee to publish their response to the submissions they collected shortly after Parliament returns from Easter recess

·?Following that, they will start oral evidence sessions with key witnesses.

Scrutiny of the draft before it’s introduced in the House gives policy makers the time to spot and iron out any concerns before MPs vote. It’s also an opportunity for the industry, as well as Parliamentarians, to have their voices heard.

Over the past month, GBRTT has been working closely with the Department for Transport (DfT), United Kingdom to engage all parts of the industry, explain some of the more technical parts of the Bill, hear views and open up opportunities for questions and discussion.

GBRTT’s Interim Lead Director Rufus Boyd and DfT’s Director for Rail Transformation Lucy Ryan joined Railway Industry Association (RIA) to talk through the Bill and answer any questions members might have. Alongside this, we’ve spoken to stakeholders across the industry, including Owning Groups, rolling stock manufacturers and the Urban Transport Group .

After a tumultuous few years for the industry, we hope it’s a single model everyone can rally behind.

Moving forward on simpler, better industry processes

Following the publication of our recommendations to deliver a simpler and more integrated railway, the Secretary of State has asked GBRTT to take forward those activities that do not require legislation.

This year, our team’s focus is to work with our partners to deliver the near-term changes that simplify today’s approaches. One of the proposals GBRTT has already started work on is to simplify the consent processes for making changes at stations and depots.

The team is running workshops with partners over the next few months to identify and prioritise opportunities. They will then develop a package of proposed changes to the consent processes at stations that could bring benefits including unlocking commercial opportunities and achieving cost savings.

If you would like to be involved, please email us at: [email protected]

What does it take to bring a national Rail Sale to life?

The most recent Great British Rail Sale in February brought together the Department for Transport, Rail Delivery Group and 16 train operators to deliver up to 50% off more than a million Advance and Off-Peak train tickets.

It’s a great example of what can be achieved through a ‘one railway’ approach - encouraging more people to choose to travel by train, more often - benefiting both customers and taxpayers.

As we wait to see the impact of this year's sale, GBRTT's in-depth analysis from the 2022 Sale tells us it is possible to deliver a simpler, better railway when the industry pulls together as one and puts the customer at the heart of planning.

Read our analysis of the 2022 sale here.

Agent to search for a property to house Great British Railways headquarters

GBRTT is launching a city-wide search in Derby to find the property that will house the Great British Railways (GBR) HQ.

The busy national headquarters will act as a hub for the wider rail industry, propelling innovation and new thinking. A specialist property agent will be briefed to help identify a versatile location that will lend itself to bringing people together to work productively and innovate effectively.

Derby was chosen as the future home of GBR following a public competition. GBRTT’s work with partners such as Derby City Council and Rail Forum has already been instrumental in helping define a shared vision for a headquarters that creates value for customers across the country, as well as for local communities in and around the city.

Paul Harwood, Director of Partners & Places at GBRTT, said: “Good ideas can come from anywhere, but innovation happens when people work together to put good ideas into practice. Our customers rightly expect a modern customer experience, while our funders expect efficiency, so rail must be open for business – ready to work with innovators to test new ideas at pace and to scale the pilots that work.

“We’re looking for a space that will ensure Great British Railways HQ is a catalyst for that vibrant, customer-first culture that will fan out from Derby.”

Next week, GBRTT will also open a secondary Transition Team office in Derby. Establishing a footprint in the city now will help us to work ever more closely with private and public sector partners across the Midlands and beyond, as we help the sector to get ready for GBR.

Find our more about the GBR HQ search.

Be heard: Join GBRTT’s Commercial Partnerships Sounding Board

We’re looking for twelve senior leaders working in the rail and non-rail supply chain to join our second cohort of GBRTT’s Commercial Partnerships Sounding Board.

The Sounding Board brings together suppliers, with Network Rail and Department for Transport (DfT), United Kingdom , to have open and honest conversations about effective public-private sector collaboration.

Feedback from previous cohorts stressed the importance of promoting positive culture change that helps drive improvements right across the railway. This Sounding Board will build on work developed with the help of their predecessors, around how we collectively create an environment that gets the best possible value and innovation for the money rail spends.

Participants will be at the very forefront in shaping the direction the rail industry is taking at this critical time in the reform agenda so, if you’re interested in being part of this work, please follow the link below to read the criteria and register your interest by 17:00 on Friday 3 May.

Find out more about joining the Sounding Board.

Industry leaders meet with the Secretary of State and Rail Minister

Senior leaders from track, train and policy came together last month for the Rail Minister’s away morning. The event, which was organised and delivered by the Department for Transport, GBRTT and Rail Delivery Group , focused on working together in the ‘here and now’ to improve the railway for our customers, as the Rail Reform Bill continues through pre-legislative scrutiny.

Attendees heard from GBRTT’s Interim Lead Director Rufus Boyd on the pre-legislative scrutiny process and Freight Reform Programme Director Richard Moody about the work GBRTT is doing to grow freight on rail. They also heard from Partners & Places Director Paul Harwood on how the rail property estate can be used to improve communities and build homes, and our Accessibility & Inclusion Lead Alison Smith spoke about work to improve the provision of data on the accessibility of the network.

The Rail Minister and Secretary of State spoke about their drive to support the industry as we look to be simpler and better. It was clear from the presentations and conversations that collaboration across different parts of the railway is key.

From the creation of a single profit and loss account to partnerships with metropolitan mayoralties, local track and train alliances, fares and ticketing (and plenty more), the desire from train and freight operators and others to innovate and collaborate was palpable. It was great to have so many champions of a simpler and better ‘one railway’ approach in the same room, and we look forward to building on the momentum the morning generated.

Autumn storms cost railway ￡21 million in lost revenue

Our latest GBRTT Train Travel Snapshot shows the impact of last autumn’s storms on rail revenue.

Extreme weather meant the railway missed out on an estimated ￡21 million revenue between 1 October and 31 December 2023, with a drop in trips for business purposes suggesting these travellers were the most put off by storms.

With many workers now having more flexibility than ever over whether they travel, GBRTT is supporting those running train services and rail infrastructure locally to deliver the things that matter most to customers, like improved reliability and communication during disruption.

Network Rail has also committed significant spend over the next five years for improving the resilience of its assets to extreme weather and climate change.

Find out more about the latest train travel trends.

Walking in the customer’s shoes

Listening to and incorporating customer feedback when making business decisions can massively improve customers' perception of big companies and boost engagement and satisfaction. Last month, our Head of Customer Experience Design Samyutha Balasubramaniam encouraged participants to ‘walk in the shoes of the customer’ as she took part in a panel discussion at the Customer Contact Week Europe conference.

At GBRTT, we’re working across the industry to create a railway that actively listens to customers and responds better to their needs. A year ago, we set up our Customer Community in collaboration with Transport Focus , which has been integral to the way we do business in GBRTT.

This diverse community is a fantastic source of detailed insight - validating and challenging ideas, propositions and products and reviewing our direction of travel, as well as helping to develop future strategies and products in collaboration with train operators.

Sam said: “Customer insight is the bedrock of our design thinking process, and we ensure we regularly check our propositions as we develop them, using a range of qualitative and quantitative sources.

“A great example is the process we’ve followed to develop industry customer experience standards – we started with insight, understanding customer needs and pain points and expectations; and once the standards were created using a collaborative process with the industry, we went back to customers to test and validate them, ensuring the solution was the right one.”

A greener, leaner future for freight

The growth in e-commerce and next-day deliveries has more than doubled in the last 10 years. In March, our freight team attended a Varamis showcase event at London Liverpool Street station, exploring a new way to deliver into big cities.

Varamis Rail has modified Class 321 Greater Anglia passenger trains to use on intercity routes, stripping out seats and adding internal framing to accommodate palletised goods and roll cages – as well smaller courier mail and next-day delivery packages.

“By embracing these ideas, we not only want to challenge the industry to think differently, but also demonstrate to other sectors what’s possible – and hopefully change the perception of rail in the UK while we’re at it,” explained Business Development Manager Daniel Fredriksson .

Traditional freight runs between 60 and 75mph, but these all-electric units can accelerate quicker and travel up to 100mph. It’s hoped that by linking these arrivals with local courier services or e-cargo bikes, deliveries can be environmentally friendly all the way to their final destinations.

“Delivery to city centre by rail is the future,” said Network Rail Chair Peter, Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill . "Add zero emission final mile from the train, and this completes a modern client chain to door for e-retail.”

Working towards the rail freight growth target.

Media Round-up

Here’s a round-up of some of the articles and podcasts GBRTT has featured in over the past couple of months.

A more integrated transport network (Rail Business Daily, 8 March 2024)

Rufus Boyd, Interim Lead Director, discusses the challenges around integrating rail with other modes of travel, including how to meet customer expectations of multi-modal journeys and the importance of reducing end-to-end journey time.

Read the RBD article.

Off the Rails (Global Rail Review, 21 March 2024)

GBRTT’s Programme Director, Business Planning & Financial Management, Emily Lightowler chats about how she got into rail and her career to date, plus the benefits of a unified Great British Railways and the opportunities for the industry.

Read the GRR article.

Upcoming speaking engagements

Rail Industry Forum conference (1 May 2024)

Hear from Interim Lead Director Rufus Boyd , as he talks about the future of the industry and the importance of rail reform.

UK Ports Conference (22-23 May 2024)

Guy Bates , GBRTT Head of Freight Development, joins a panel to talk about increasing port connectivity, supporting supply chain development and using smart technology to reduce congestion.

Multimodal (11-13 Jun 2024)

Two for one at this conference! Firstly, Head of Strategic Planning Richard Moody explores how we can incentivise businesses to put more of their goods on rail, to meet the Government’s target to grow rail freight by 75% by 2050. Then Zoe McLernon , our Policy & Advocacy Lead (Freight), talks about how she got into rail and her mission to encourage more young people into the industry.

Rail Station Development and Regeneration Conference (25 Jun 2024)

GBRTT Head of Commercial Change, Rebecca Cunningham, will be sharing examples of where local expertise and national reform principles are working together to improve the way stations are run.

Jobs @ GBRTT

As we seek to deliver the most ambitious changes to our railways in a generation, we are always on the lookout for the very best talent in our industry and beyond.

Visit our jobs site to find out about fantastic opportunities to work as part of the team focused on transforming the future of the railway.

Find out about our vacancies.