As the establishment of Great British Railways (GBR) begins to take shape, politicians and the transport industry face a pivotal question: will rail nationalisation impede innovation or accelerate it?

Framing nationalisation as an opportunity 

Naturally, Labour Ministers will, given their ideological inclinations and having invested so much political capital in proscribing nationalisation as the cure for Britain’s ailing railways, insist that GBR will usher in a new era of advancement. While that is by no means a given, GBR could well become a catalyst for intelligent transport transformation at a national scale. But to realise that lofty goal three things are required – vision, seriousness of purpose and, crucially, investment.

With clear Ministerial priorities and the funding to match, the unification of track and train could mark a clear departure from some of the less effective public ownership practices of the past. It is easy to see how nationalisation, a once-in-a-generation opportunity which would put an end to the fragmentation of the network caused by franchising, could result in a truly integrated network that puts the customer first, underpinned by a revolution in how technology is used in our railways.

Streamlined ticketing that works for every passenger

Take ticketing, for example. In only a handful of major cities can travellers tap in and out of train stations and buses without thinking. But in the rest of the country, passengers often need to navigate apps, printed tickets and confusing fare structures just to make basic journeys. GBR would have both the authority and the scope to bring the rest of the country up to speed with London’s seamless travel experience. This could, feasibly, boost ridership, cut administrative costs and reduce prices for customers.

This could be taken a step further with a GBR-backed national transport app – akin to CityMapper or TfL Go – that integrates trains, buses, trams, active travel and micromobility, allowing people to plan whole journeys, including first and last miles. Such an app could deliver live service updates, disruption alerts and compensation and concession mechanisms, harnessing the power of AI to do this in a predictive and personalised way.

Safeguarding passengers with technology

Technology has a critical role to play in improving safety and accessibility, too. A GBR that fully embraced technology could facilitate real-time safety and incident reporting by passengers and staff, allowing discreet reporting and in-journey alerts for antisocial behaviour or accessibility issues. It could also support surveillance and analysis, using reporting data to identify high-risk locations and times, enabling proactive interventions and resource allocation. Safety is crucial for all passengers, but especially so for women, girls and passengers with accessibility needs. By embedding safety in the digital infrastructure of a modern GBR, passengers will not only be  safer while using the rail network but will feel confident that they are too.

Seizing the moment for a future-looking railway

We are told, almost daily now, that artificial intelligence and other technologies are going to unlock the next industrial revolution. We are also told, with similar urgency, that to meet climate and sustainability goals, we have to overhaul the way we travel. It could not be clearer, therefore, that the establishment of GBR must be treated as a take-it-or-leave it chance to lay the foundations for a nationwide transport system fit for the future, backed up with the ambition and resources required to make it so.

Making the case for innovation now

The key task for the industry now is to provide compelling narratives that convince investors and build public confidence. That means transport innovators and stakeholders must step forward to demonstrate how their technologies can deliver safer and smarter rail network.

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About JFG

At JFG Communications, our experience across both the public and private transport sectors building influence around transport technology, innovation and net zero, means we understand what it takes to turn ideas into practice. If you need help framing your narrative, navigating government or engaging stakeholders, we can support you.