Proposing to make the railway better for 21st century commuters, motion F38 was passed by party members, at the Autumn 2019 party conference in Bournemouth (14-17 September).
Liberal Democrat mover, Baroness Randerson – Spokesperson for Transport – proposed the motion to update party policy, as follows:
Opposing the re-nationalisation of the railways, she proposed:
- large-scale investment in existing commuter lines, new, and re-opened lines
- fixing the broken fares system using technology to simplify fares and making season tickets work for people with part-time jobs
- creating a new Railway Agency to oversee the day-to-day railways operation
- making the railways greener, safer and more accessible
- reforming franchising and opening-up the bidding process
- effectively devolving power to local and combined authorities
- improving freight services so that they don’t slow passenger services
Existing policy is explained in the policy motion Fixing Rail Franchising (2018), the 2017 General Election Manifesto, Change Britain’s Future, and Policy Paper 119, Protecting Public Services, and Making Them Work for You (2014).
Read the full motion here: libdems.org.uk/f38-railways
Updates on other political party policies will follow in the next few weeks after the relevant Party Conferences.
