In a dramatic U-turn, the UK government has officially pulled the plug on its flagship plan to create a new overarching body, Great British Railways (GBR), intended to revolutionise Britain's fragmented rail network. The move represents a major abandonment of a core post-Brexit transport policy.
The ambitious reform, first championed by former Transport Secretary Grant Shapps in 2021, was designed to simplify the complex and often criticised rail system. The vision was for GBR to act as a single “guiding mind” to integrate tracks, trains, and tickets, putting an end to the blame game between different private operators and Network Rail.
A Vision Derailed
The announcement, delivered not in Parliament but in a quiet written ministerial statement from current Transport Secretary Mark Harper, signals a complete departure from the government's previously stated ambitions. Harper declared the government would instead pursue “more urgent” reforms through new legislation.
This legislative shift will focus on establishing a new public body for the rail freight sector and a separate watchdog to oversee the accessibility of the network. The grand, unifying vision of GBR has been sidelined, with its proposed responsibilities now being dispersed among existing organisations like Network Rail and the Department for Transport.
Industry Backlash and Political Fallout
The decision has been met with fierce criticism from industry insiders and opposition parties. The chair of Transport for the North, Lord McLoughlin, called the move “deeply disappointing,” highlighting the years of work and cross-industry consensus that had been built around the GBR plan.
Louise Haigh, Labour’s Shadow Transport Secretary, slammed the government for “casually dumping their own flagship legislation” without a credible alternative. She accused ministers of presiding over “14 years of shambolic mismanagement” of the railways.
The government maintains that many of the benefits of integration can be delivered without the need to create a massive new organisation from scratch. However, critics argue this is a major step backwards that will leave the rail system in England more fragmented than ever.
