The transport secretary has outlined plans to scrap the Strategic Rail Authority and devolve more power over the railways to the regions.
Government Response: Department for Transport
Alistair Darling, transport secretary, said: "Last year the railways carried over a billion passengers for the first time since the 1960's. So it's essential we put in place the right organisation to run the railways providing passengers with reliable and efficient services.
"The proposals I am announcing today streamline the structure of the organisation of the railway, they provide a single point of accountability for performance, allow closer working between track and train and provide for greater local and devolved decision making.
"We are putting the organisation of the railways on a stable long-term footing backed by increased funding. We have set out a clear direction for Britain's railway backed by the money it needs."
Party Response: Conservative
Tim Yeo, shadow secretary of state for environment and transport, said: "Today's announcement is another example of fat government instead of slimming down of bureaucracy which the government has promised.
"Shifting responsibilities around Whitehall, replacing one set of bureaucrats with another will not make our trains more reliable, stations more comfortable or fares more affordable. Why does the minister think that politicians and civil servants can run the railways better than the train operators?
"Handing responsibility for rail services in London, which account for two-thirds of all rail journeys to Ken Livingstone is a recipe for chaos. Alistair Darling even admitted in parliament that he was not sure how this would work.
"Unfortunately, this white paper will not encourage more investment into the network. By insisting on limiting the franchises to a rolling two-year period ministers are discouraging train operators from investing in the railways.
"Alistair Darling only has to look at how the SRA failed to solve the problems of the railways to know that giving more power back to the department won't help the passenger waiting on the platform."
Party Response: Liberal Democrat
John Thurso, Liberal Democrat transport spokesman, said: "The railways have been dogged by over-complex and competing bureaucracies. The Liberal Democrats have long argued for a simpler and clearer structure, which the government have now accepted.
"However, if passengers are to see real improvements in service, the government must now lay out a long-term strategic vision for developing the network and improving services."
Forum Response: GMB
Kevin Curran, general secretary of the GMB, said: "This is a red letter day for the railways, which have suffered without any state control for too long.
"We will at last have a public rail network run in the public interest by a Labour government, and not before time.
"It would be a welcome further step if that same Labour government could do more to encourage the rail manufacturing sector, ensuring that Britain's trains can again be made on British soil."
Forum Response: Leonard Cheshire
John Knight, head of policy at Leonard Cheshire, said: "Many disabled people, myself included, find the rail network almost impossible to use properly.
"Today’s proposals will mean little to disabled people unless the government can commit to making the whole network properly accessible."
Forum Response: Construction Products Association
Chris Bennett, external affairs executive at the Construction Products Association said: “The railway industry has undergone a series of restructuring exercises over the last ten years which have generated uncertainty and deterred long-term investment. We hope that today’s white paper will finally provide a sustainable and long-term organisational structure for the future.
“Now that strategic long-term policy-making has passed to the Department, it must immediately take steps to ensure that it has the skills and resources to carry out this role effectively. The decision to drop the PSA target to increase passenger numbers by 50 per cent by 2010 and the tone of today’s white paper suggest that the government holds little hope of completing the major rail enhancements that it had originally planned.
“We await the forthcoming review of the ten year transport plan with great interest and trust that the government will set itself clear timetables for the early delivery of the West Coast Mainline, East London Line, Thameslink 2000, and Crossrail.”
