Landmark coming together sees rail companies launch plan for a changing UK railway to secure almost £85bn benefit to the economy and enable further improvement

• Landmark coming together sees train companies, Network Rail and suppliers launch ‘In Partnership for Britain’s Prosperity’ a single, long-term plan for a changing and improving UK railway
• The plan sets out how Britain’s public and private ‘partnership railway’ will secure almost £85bn of extra economic benefits to the country and enable further improvements;
• It is supported by business and passenger groups and makes four commitments for change to improve and deliver for the economy, customers, communities and staff working in rail; and
• The plan will launch a new drive to show customers and communities locally how the railway is changing is their area.

In a landmark moment for the UK railway, passenger and freight train companies, Network Rail and their suppliers have come together to launch a 'single plan' for Britain's railway.

The plan, backed by Arriva, the UK rail industry and business and passenger groups, makes four commitments for change to build on the railway’s progress of the last 20 years. It includes new independent research which shows how a changing partnership railway will secure almost £85bn of additional economic benefits for the country by connecting people to jobs, housing and new business opportunities. This is in addition to the existing £31bn of economic benefits the railway delivers each year now.

It will see the whole industry make four commitments for change, to protect the benefits of investment and innovation to unlock extra economic benefits, improve journeys, better connect communities and increase jobs in rail, supporting the UK as it leaves the European Union.

Welcoming the launch of the plan, Chris Burchell, Arriva UK Trains Managing Director and also Chair of RDG (Rail Delivery Group), said:

“I’m delighted that we’re today launching ‘In Partnership for Britain’s Prosperity’, a landmark plan for delivering a changing and improving railway. The Plan, delivered in partnership, will help unlock a better railway benefiting the UK economy, customers, employees and communities.”

The plan includes a commitment to support the economy nationally and boost communities locally through investment to improve services. The full commitments being made include:

• Commitment 1 - Strengthen the railway’s contribution to the economy, keeping running costs in the black, freeing up taxpayers’ money;
• Commitment 2 - Increase customer satisfaction by improving the railway to remain the top-rated major railway in Europe;
• Commitment 3 - Boost local communities through localised decision making and investment;
• Commitment 4 – Create more jobs, increase diversity and provide our employees with rewarding careers.

Securing the economic benefits of the public and private partnership will mean that:

• In the next 18 months alone, customers and communities across the country will see a transformation in their railway with more trains, better services and improved stations;
• Investment into rail of £50bn will help to deliver 5,700 new carriages on track by 2021 and 6,400 additional services per week;
• Customer journeys will be improved using technology to increase capacity by running trains closer together, to improve information to help passengers during disruption, and to make buying and using tickets quicker and easier;
• Improved services and greater confidence for customers with the introduction of a new Independent Railway Ombudsman, by Summer 2018, ruling on unresolved complaints;
• A stronger voice for customers in England and Wales with customer representation on joint supervisory boards, or an equivalent – a partnership between the rail industry and customer groups;
• Staff in the railway will benefit with 100,000 job opportunities, the creation of 20,000 new apprenticeships in rail and its supply chain by 2020 and doubling the number of higher level apprenticeships every five years.

Research on the rail industry's plan undertaken by independent economics consultancy Oxera shows that £50bn-plus public and private investment through the partnership railway over a decade is delivering almost £85bn to the economy, over and above the £31bn of existing benefits the railway provides per year. These additional benefits can only be generated by the industry’s plan, delivered in partnership.

Full details of the plan are available on the Britain Runs on Rail website.