Transport secretary calls for ‘more joined-up railway’ at Infrarail 2018

​Transport secretary Chris Grayling has called for a ‘more joined-up railway,’ and an end to the operational divide between track and train.

Speaking at the Infrarail 2018 exhibition in Birmingham yesterday, Grayling said the government wanted to build links between the private and public sectors and overhaul how trains used on-board wifi.

“I think we need a more joined-up railway, with integrated regional teams positioned to sort out problems fast and to work together to deliver renewals and enhancements,” he said, according to The Verdict. “That’s why our rail strategy goes further than before—to get private and public sectors working more closely together, to end the operational divide between track and train and to re-shape the railway around the customer.”

The strategy, launched late last year, includes commitments to modernise the railway by bringing in more digital technologies and dramatically improving the service for passengers.

“The changes are already underway in many parts of the network and we’re shaping that as we go forward with a franchising process,” said Grayling, highlighting new alliances between Network Rail and the upcoming South-Eastern franchise, and similar approaches on the Midlands mainline and East coast mainline due to come into effect in the 2020s.