Last week, the Railway Study Network (RSN) hosted its second Fireside Chat with guest speakers Laura Shoaf, CBE and Shamit Gaiger OBE in conversation with NSAR CEO and 2025 RSN Chair Neil Robertson. The event was kindly sponsored by West Coast Partnership Development (WCPD) and hosted by Eversheds Sutherland.
A fantastic evening of insights and discussions on the future of the rail industry, this event brought industry leaders together in an engaging and relaxed environment to share their thoughts and questions about the direction of the sector, with those who know it best.
Questions about the formation of GBR and what it could mean for organisations were presented multiple times, which, as Chair of Shadow Great British Railway, Laura is extremely well-positioned to respond to. The theme of empowerment ran throughout the talk, with Shadow GBR encouraging more company leaders to share their ongoing learning and expertise with other train operating companies as integration increases.
No one can accuse the rail industry of lacking passion, with the desire to continuously improve driving strategies and budgets alike. This can be demonstrated by the newly formed South Eastern Railway, with a panel comment to look to them “if you want to see the future”. South Eastern Railway, formed of Southeastern and the Kent Route of Network Rail, demonstrates the importance of a new alignment moving forward towards an integrated railway.
Another organisation focused on the future of rail is West Coast Partnership Development (WCPD), which is working collaboratively with DfT and HS2 to develop the high speed services that will operate on both the new line between London and Birmingham and on the conventional rail network to Manchester, Liverpool and Glasgow. This involves reshaping the intercity services on the west coast, including planning the best use of released capacity in order to maximise the efficient use of the railways and optimise the returns on investment. This is a massive project to undertake, which goes far beyond simply connecting the two cities in under 50 minutes.
It was noted that the positive economic and social impact that can accrue from high-speed connectivity is already evident in Birmingham and West London, with investments in housing, innovation, skills, communities and growth. The investments we are already seeing give us a glimpse of the future, with one observation that “it points to the whole corridor being about life sciences, innovation, AI and people.”
For both Shadow GBR and WCPD the key focus is the customer, and the crucial objective to identify and address customer pain points, one of the biggest undoubtably being value for money. Shorter travel times, reduced refund windows and the flexibility of changing tickets are just some of the solutions being considered by WCPD. Building on expert research and a programme of engagement and consultation with customers, WCPD has a clear focus on identifying how best to improve the customer experience.
Shadow GBR expects this better efficiency and value for money will come from better adaptation in the public transport networks to customers’ post-covid needs. It was noted that the number of passengers in rail has still not bounced back to pre-covid numbers, which in itself has impacted rail fares to help counteract the reduced demand. In order to fix these issues, there is a clear need to “stimulate demand by knowing our customers’ needs intimately”, which will be best done by “looking at our network with several markets, and cater to each of them independently on the needs of that market”. The panel emphasised a great sense of place was important and would be delivered by the reforms that GBR will bring to the industry.
The positives of GBR are clear when looking at these pain points, as it will bring together organisations who are intimately involved with the issues within their specific markets, into a space that pairs larger resources with the ability to make joint decisions to benefit everyone.
The structure of RSN’s Fireside Chats is designed to encourage questions and insights from the audience, not just the guest speakers. One question brought up by an audience member challenged how GBR will go about bringing members of the supply chain on board in the future. It was noted that forums already exist specifically with the supply chain in mind, which lends credence to the priority of collaboration throughout these projects, and the industry as a whole.
Another member of the audience raised a question I’m sure a lot of the industry are asking right now, on how GBR plan to incentivise the new joined up operators and infrastructure providers to deliver when there is not the commercial incentive that previously existed. Whilst there isn’t a solution set it stone just yet, it was affirmed that active conversations are taking place surrounding the important question of how GBR will be structured financially and incentivised to retain the best of the private sector model, whilst better delivering for passengers and taxpayers, so keep an eye out for further information on how these concerns will be tackled.
In order to innovate to the level that GBR and the wider rail industry are looking to in the future, the question of funding inevitably arises. A further question from the audience asked if there was “more that the industry can do to make itself investable for infrastructure projects”. It was unanimously agreed that this was a crucial question, and whilst a solution has not yet been revealed for this, it was confirmed that the private sector will continue to be crucial to the future of Britain’s railways both for investment and innovation.
The rail industry is facing massive overhauls, integration and infrastructure projects, which can seem daunting at times. However, in this landmark 200th year of the modern railway, we as an industry continue to push for positive change and improved structure that will benefit passengers first and foremost. There is no doubt that the rail industry is up for the challenge, with the spirit of rail summed up perfectly in one comment from the evening in that “rail stands apart from other industries in terms of our passion and pride”.
A great evening, with the next events being:
The annual RSN Dinner on 1st October 2025, at the Kia Oval, click here to book
3rd December – One p&l for the industry, hosted online
9th December – NSAR AGM & Skills Symposium at the Foundling Hospital, Euston