Yesterday evening the Rt Hon Mark Harper, Secretary of State for Transport delivered the annual George Bradshaw Address. In his speech he committed to the rail reform agenda including the creation of GBR. He also put customers – passengers and freight – front and centre and highlighted the importance of creating the right partnerships between the public and private sector in order to best deliver for customer and the taxpayer.
Responding to the speech Elaine Clark, CEO Rail Forum said: “We welcome today’s speech and the clear message it provides for the next phase of the rail reform agenda. Whilst there were few details, what the Secretary of State has done is set a clear direction of travel.
“The supply chain and private sector have a vital role to play in driving and delivering the changes required and we look forward to supporting our members as they get to grips with these opportunities. I think we would all agree we have been treading water for far too long. We now need government to deliver on the promise of action to break the current cycle and facilitate the actions that will enable us to deliver a railway fit for future generations.”
