The Government will use emergency coronavirus controls of the UK’s railways to centralise control of Britain’s railways, in a move comparable to nationalisation.
The Transport Secretary said the crisis had provided opportunities to establish a “different type of railway”, in a move that would mean the end of the franchise system established by John Major.
Train operators would receive a fixed fee from the Government which would essentially own all routes and collect fares.
Under the current system franchise holders collect fares and pay a percentage to the Exchequer, which encourages them to maximise income.
The entire system would be overseen by a board, which would likely be chaired by the Transport Secretary, giving the Government more control over pricing and timetabling.
In a meeting of the Commons' Transport Select Committee on Wednesday, Mr Shapps said such a model would "bring the railway back together”.
Mr Shapps compared it to the system of Transport for London, in which operators are contracted to run London Overground lines "as concessions".
It is understood that Network Rail, which currently operates the train networks' tracks, could be given the powers to specify and award such contracts.
It would also be able to set out the targets that train operators have to hit as well as specifying the number of services being run.
The proposals are expected to be incorporated into the final report of a 21-month
independent review into the rail industry by former British Airways chief executive Keith Williams.
Mr Shapps promised that more detail would be forthcoming in the long-awaited review.
“Clearly, what we need to do is get to a situation which gets us to the Williams review,” he said.
“The route between where we are and where we were has been changing and you might say speeded up”.
In March ministers took the decision to bring the railways under the Government’s control
through emergency measures agreements, protecting franchises from revenue damage due to plummeting passenger numbers.
The agreements are due to end in September, giving the Government fresh opportunity for restructure.
During yesterday’s committee, Mr Shapps also revealed that cyclists are likely to take priority over cars as the country recovers from the impact of coronavirus.
The Transport Secretary said that there should be a "reprioritising" of how local authorities think about road space.
Mr Shapps noted that
bike use doubled during the week and trebled at weekends at the height of the coronavirus lockdown.
He said: “We have seen a more than 100 per cent increase in people cycling during the height of lockdown, but the trick is to keep this going, which requires more than the large sums of money we’re putting in.
"It also requires a change in culture.”
In May the Government announced £2 billion for cycling and walking, with £250 million immediately available for the installation of temporary, pop-up measures to aid social distancing.
However, Mr Shapps’ plan to bring half a million unused bikes back into service, with a £50 towards repairs and overhaul, has yet to issue a single voucher.
“We have a problem. There is a massive waiting list for everything to do with bikes,” he admitted.
Mr Shapps also committed to a memorial for transport workers who died of coronavirus.
He suggested that the commemoration could be erected in London’s Victoria Station, in memory of Belly Mujinga.
The ticket officer
died of coronavirus in April days after a man who said he had Covid-19 spat and coughed at her as she worked inside the station.
The Transport Secretary said it would be an "appropriate location" for such a tribute.
He said: “I have spoken to the unions and others about doing something in the slightly longer term to commemorate transport workers' extraordinary input and effort to assisting this country in this time of crisis, perhaps with some sort of commemoration or memorial and perhaps even at Victoria station where, sadly, Belly Majinga worked.
“We don’t know whether it (her death) was connected to that incident but nonetheless that might be an appropriate location to remember all transport workers during this crisis.”
www.telegraph.co.uk
