Freight companies like GBRf have been one of the successes since Privatisation in the 1990s, and their rights to access on the network will be protected under the GBR plan.
Re-engineered No. 69003 passes Barnes on April 21 with the empty 4Y19 from Mountfield Sidings (East Sussex) to Southampton Western
Docks.
CHRIS WEST
AT THE state opening of parliament on May 10, the Government announced that legislation would be introduced to create Great British Railways (GBR). The content that can be expected was published in May 2021 in the form of the Williams-Shapps plan for the future.
The plan asserts that GBR will be a powerful body, which is necessary to bring about change, but the risk is identified that it may become too powerful, or at least empowered to make decisions that are not in the public interest. There is clearly a memory of the erstwhile Strategic Rail Authority (2001- 2006), which was given a free hand to determine policy that was not always consistent with good outcomes for rail users, and it developed a bias in favour of passenger rather than freight operations.
“A series of strong measures and structures are promised to create accountability to passengers, freight customers and taxpayers”