Rail Partners, the industry body representing open access passenger train operators in the UK, is calling on the government to clarify its long-term vision for the sector.
This follows a recent letter from the Secretary of State for Transport to the Office of Rail and Road (ORR), the rail regulator in the UK. The letter raised concerns among open access operators that the government may be making it more difficult for new entrants to gain access to the railway network.
You can read the full letter here.
Andy Bagnall, Chief Executive of Rail Partners, commented: “The last 18 months have been a breakthrough period for open access operators as the benefits they bring to customers have been increasingly recognised. Open access operators create new travel opportunities especially for underserved communities, support economic growth and encourage a shift to greener transport options. They also promote fares competition and, importantly for taxpayers, they receive no government subsidy.
“Since the UK’s general election in July, the new government has confirmed its support for open access operators in the private sector, despite its rail renationalisation agenda. It is a very positive sign that the Prime Minister personally visited the Hitachi factory in Newton Aycliffe to support a deal to manufacture new trains for FirstGroup’s open access services.
“However, despite all the positive developments in recent months, it remains unclear whether the new government is a champion of open access operators, or it is simply tolerating them as part of the system that is too costly to nationalise. If the Government doesn’t make a positive choice to grow the sector through adequate safeguards and a fairly-adjudicated application process, it will effectively be creating the conditions for existing operators to wither on the vine. The Secretary of State’s letter to the ORR this week is a worrying signal in this regard as it suggests that the bar for new open access applications is being made harder to clear.
“Open access operators are at a crossroads. There is momentum across Europe in favour of this model. But passengers will only benefit if government chooses the right direction.”
Rail Partners encourages further discussion on this topic and invites readers to explore their latest blog post: https://railpartners.co.uk/latest/blog/open-access-operators-are-at-a-crossroads-government-must-choose-a-direction
