This autumn, parliament will turn its attention to one of the most ambitious public-sector reforms in a generation. The creation of Great British Railways (GBR) will bring together the functions of the rail industry into a single, integrated body employing around 100,000 people – the UK’s second-largest public organisation after the NHS. Much political bandwidth will be taken up with debates on the organisational realities of building such a vast entity; workforce transfer, industrial relations and the desire to see train service performance improve at the same time. The central challenge is tackling the pain-points that passengers face every day: making trains more efficient and more reliable, with appropriate and reasonable fares.
The move towards public ownership of Britain’s railways is popular and the policy polled strongly ahead of the last election. It reflects deep frustration with cancellations, delays, and a sense that the UK’s fragmented rail system was not being run in passengers’ interests. People still want – and rightly expect – a network that is more reliable, better value, and firmly passenger-first.
Independent Rail Retailers (IRR) supports the overarching aims of the government’s rail reform agenda. Indeed, the goals of GBR are sound as a new national “guiding mind”, and now these reforms must fix these areas.
It is vital not to break the parts of the system that broadly work: and that includes how people buy their tickets. Retailing can be the bit of the passenger experience that is modern, competitive and responsive. Temper that – or even diminish it – and the early promise of GBR could remain unfulfilled.
Millions of customers book rail travel daily through independent rail retailers. Together, we are the public’s shop window to the national rail system: a gateway that brings in customers and convinces them to keep coming back. For many people, their first and most frequent interaction with the rail system is through these trusted, third-party platforms – the ones that provide competitive fares, clear information, and a range of booking options. As Chair of the IRR – and as someone who spent years leading Transport Focus – I know that first impressions count. If that first interaction is positive it shapes the rest of the journey. If it is negative, passengers are less likely to return, and everyone loses out.
Getting the detail right
The government’s rail reform consultation, “A railway fit for Britain’s future”, rightly sets out objectives for a retail market that is competitive, innovative and customer focused. These goals enjoy broad support across the industry.
The risk is not in the stated ambition but in the detail of implementation. Without robust guarantees of retail equality in the Railways Bill, there is a danger that independent retailers will not have access to the same functionality as GBR’s own retail channels. That could mean slower ticketing innovations reaching passengers, fewer options to save passengers money, and less investment in customer-facing technology.
It may be tempting to see fewer retail channels as a way to simplify the system. In reality, that risks deterring new entrants to the market, narrowing choice and undermining the competitive pressure that drives better outcomes for passengers. A consolidated market is not the same as a competitive one. Rail is one of the greenest forms of mass transport we have. If we are serious about cutting carbon emissions, meeting our net zero targets, and delivering the government’s own modal shift ambitions, we need to make rail an easy, attractive and obvious choice. And in a world where rail competes not just with the private car but with domestic aviation and increasingly flexible working patterns, ease of access matters more than ever.
What passengers really want to see
Ask passengers what would make the biggest difference to their experience and one answer comes up again and again: make Delay Repay automatic and accessible across all retail channels. At present, there are existing inequalities on how tickets are refunded, and third-party retailers cannot offer automatic Delay Repay – something many passengers assume should be possible. Ensuring this functionality is available to all would be a visible test of whether rail reform is delivering for passengers from day one.
Ambition means working together
The creation of GBR is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to do things differently. We can build a system where every part of Britain’s railway ecosystem – public and private – is pulling in the same direction. That means harnessing the strengths of both: the stability, scale and guiding mind that GBR can bring, and the innovation, responsiveness and consumer focus that independent retailers have long delivered. At IRR, we stand ready to work with the government, GBR and all stakeholders to make this happen. But that requires clarity in the legislation that a level playing field is not optional – it’s essential for passenger confidence.
A call to parliament
As MPs examine the forthcoming bill over the autumn, I urge them to consider: will the passenger experience improve from day one? Will those millions who choose independent channels still get the full range of tools and options they rely on? Will innovation be encouraged, or slowed? The answers depend on getting this right now. Adding statutory guarantees of retail equality is the simplest, most cost-effective way to safeguard passenger choice. We cannot afford for the public’s shop window to be anything less than clear, competitive and compelling. With the right legislative safeguards, the government can ensure that GBR launches as a modern, customer-first railway that combines the best of Britain’s public service ethos with the dynamism of its tech and private-sector partners – and plays a decisive role in delivering the UK’s sustainability goals. Let’s get this right first time.
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