Transport Secretary Mark Harper laid out his commitment to the rail industry for the first time during the George Bradshaw address which took place at the Institute for Civil Engineers on the 7th of February 2023.

The address saw subject matters covered including the modernisation of the railways to the impact of the pandemic. An area which was discussed which will be close to many rail passenger’s hearts is that of fares and ticketing and a common wish to see reliable services, comfortable journeys and accessible stations.

In relation to fares and ticketing, Mr Harper spoke about the 55 million fares currently available and how this would make anybody doubt they are getting a fair price. Mr Harper revealed his aim to create hassle-free ticketing and confirmed an extension to Pay-As-You-Go ticketing to 52 stations throughout the southeast for operators including Chiltern Railways, London Northwestern Railway, and C2C services.

Mr Harper also felt that ticket prices need to be fairer, especially with the discrepancy in the price of a single and a return fare. He also discussed how train operators can often be unable to add substantial reductions to quieter services and following London North Eastern Railway’s successful single-leg pricing trial will see this approach rolled out to other areas of the operator’s network as soon as spring 2023 after which the results will be conscientiously considered ahead of extending the initiative out on a broader level. The flexible single fare will always be fair in that it equates to half the cost of the equivalent return providing passengers with greater flexibility and improved value. Mr Harper spoke about this approach not being a rise in fares but a quest for simpler ticketing.

To read the full address please visit: https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/george-bradshaw-address-2023

Mark Plowright, Director of Virgin Trains Ticketing, commented in response to the address: “Virgin Trains Ticketing welcomes today’s announcement from The Rt Hon Mark Harper MP as he calls for a more competitive retail market that puts passengers first. A vibrant market of independent providers is essential to stimulate growth and drive innovation leading to better consumer choice.

“Virgin Trains Ticketing wholeheartedly agrees that buying rail tickets should be hassle-free but importantly, this shouldn’t be limited to expanding and investing in Pay as You Go and smart cards. The future of rail is in the cloud and we would like to see the Government better support independent retailers which are already investing in this technology.

“The UK needs a simpler approach to rail fares and the extension of the LNER trial – the removal of return fares – is a positive step in the right direction. Virgin Trains Ticketing would like to see the trial extended to operators in the shorter-distance, commuter space to understand how more passengers could benefit.

“Lastly, Virgin Trains Ticketing will watch how demand-based pricing works in practice – as it hopes it will remove the peak / off-peak cliff edge currently seen in ticket costs. However, we hope train operators don’t use demand-based pricing to increase fares on busy services – creating a peak-time pricing structure, by stealth.

“If the industry is going to encourage people back to the rail network then operators and ticket retailers must be transparent and work together to make train tickets more affordable, simple to understand and easy to book.”

Railway Industry Association (RIA) Chief Executive Darren Caplan commented in response to the address: “The Railway Industry Association and our members will welcome the clarity on rail reform provided by Transport Secretary Mark Harper. The clarity around GBR, which the Secretary of State was clear will be a strategic guiding mind rather than a controlling mind, is essential to ensuring that rail projects are delivered cost-effectively and efficiently by the rail supply chain, providing value for money to both the fare payer and the taxpayer.

“Last year RIA published ‘Five Tests for Great British Railways’, highlighting the key areas the railway supply sector wants the new organisation to focus on, to ensure rail reform is a success: preventing a hiatus in rail work, transparency, partnership with rail businesses, productivity, and ambition for a restructure which leaves a positive legacy in terms of safety, decarbonisation, exports and the economy.

“The clarity provided in the Transport Secretary’s speech today goes some way to providing reassurance on the issues of preventing a hiatus in work, more transparency and partnership with the private sector. The commitment to publish a long-term strategy for rail later this year is also very welcome. However, more still needs to be done to ensure there is a smooth and visible pipeline of work, and that rail suppliers are represented in plans to develop the pipeline, during what will be a period of significant change for the industry going forward. It is also important for the industry to hear more about the positive legacy of GBR, in addition to the Transport Secretary’s welcome comments about better-connecting people and resources.

“It is now essential the Government sticks to its plans and prioritises swift delivery, as certainty not just helps the supply chain deliver transformational rail projects in an effective and efficient way, but also enables the sector to make an even greater contribution when it comes to the UK’s economic growth, job creation, decarbonisation and the levelling-up agenda”.

RMT General Secretary Mick Lynch said: “It is no good for the transport secretary to extol the virtues of rail privatisation when the travelling public through its own experience recognises its been an unmitigated disaster.

“This speech is a blatant attempt to divert attention from the crisis engulfing our railways and the enduring shambolic mess.

“Many rail services that are already in meltdown will suffer even more because of plans to cut thousands of rail jobs and jeopardise safety standards but all the government can offer is tinkering around the edges on passenger fares.

“Rail reform and a vision for the industry needs to have public ownership at its core and the goodwill of railway workers to make it happen.

“But with the government hellbent on rewarding the private sector and attacking the terms and conditions of rail staff, good will is in short supply.”