Whitehall watchdog warns over ‘limited progress’ in rail reforms

Most Government work to overhaul Britain’s railways is delayed, according to a damning report by Whitehall’s spending watchdog.

The Department for Transport (DfT) has made “limited progress” on rail transformation plans published in 2021, with the majority of changes and expected savings not expected to happen until “at least the next Parliament”, the National Audit Office (NAO) found.

None of 12 “high-level benefits” the DfT aims to achieve with rail reforms were rated green – meaning they are on track – in December 2023.

The department had intended by early 2024 to have set up Great British Railways – a public sector body to oversee the network – as well as establish a new operating model and introduce new passenger service contracts, the NAO said.

DfT should work more closely with organisations across the rail sector.

But these and most other measures in the May 2021 rail reform White Paper “remain work in progress”, according to the report.

The DfT reported last month that 21 of the 62 commitments require legislation before they can be completed and it has paused work on 11 of them, the watchdog noted.

The report found that the DfT set a “high risk” timetable for the rail reform programme that was “reflecting ministerial ambition” but lacked a “clear plan” for how it would be implemented.

A draft Rail Reform Bill was published by the Government last month for scrutiny in preparation for when legislation can be taken forward.