2024 was (yet again) a major year in rail transport. Most notably, the Passenger Railway Services (Public Ownership) Bill received Royal Assent – alongside the ongoing work at Great British Railways Transition Team and Shadow Great British Railways – paving the way for the major reorganisation of how our railways are run. As we look to the future, where some elements still remain uncertain, it’s valuable to look back at the year ahead: to reflect how far we have travelled, how far we have yet to go, and what the best route ahead might be.
Looking back
In October 2023, the previous government cancelled Phase 2 of the HS2 project. Whatever your opinion of this decision, HS2 construction for the confirmed section has continued at pace. Major milestones were met such as the 10-mile Chiltern Tunnel reaching breakthrough point (ably delivered by ‘Florence’ the Tunnel Boring Machine), and the project has also supported over 30,000 jobs so far, providing a major social and economic boost – a key area of value which the entire rail industry must continue to communicate into 2025.
The Elizabeth Line continued to shine as a beacon of best practice – in May 2024, the line breached the 350 million mark for total journeys and provided an estimated £42 billion boost to the UK economy (so far). Not only that, but the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) named the line as the winner of the 2024 RIBA Stirling Prize, the prestigious annual award which recognises the UK’s best new architecture.
Speaking on behalf of the RIBA Stirling Prize jury, Muyiwa Oki, RIBA president and jury Chair, said: “The Elizabeth Line is a triumph in architect-led collaboration, offering a flawless, efficient, beautifully choreographed solution to inner-city transport… Descending into the colossal network of tunnels feels like entering a portal to the future, where the typical commuter chaos is transformed into an effortless experience… It rewrites the rules of accessible public transport, and sets a bold new standard for civic infrastructure, opening up the network and by extension, London, to everyone.”
The TransPennine Route Upgrade saw the introduction of full electrification between Stalybridge and Manchester Victoria, and electrification efforts on lines such as the Midland Main Line are progressing. In other major rail project news, East West Rail successfully completed the construction and testing of the new railway between Bicester and Bletchley.
Community Rail, the grassroots movement made up of 75 community rail partnerships and 1,300 station volunteer groups, all of which engage local people in their railways, also had a bumper year. ‘Feel Good Field Trips’, from Community Rail Lancashire and Avanti, continued to connect young people to amazing opportunities across the country by rail. ‘Stations of Sanctuary’, led by the South East Lancashire CRP, created safe and welcoming spaces for asylum seekers and refugees in Bolton. Sustainability and biodiversity was also a key focus, with ‘Travel Green with Daffnee Green’ from the Community Rail Education Network and CrossCountry, the UK’s first Sustainable Travel Educational Toolkit, which encourages eco-friendly travel habits, and biodiversity projects like bee-friendly planters at Tutbury and Hatton Station, as well as wider planting and landscaping initiatives up and down the country. Enabling the next generation to communicate their views on rail and public transport, the Oxfordshire Community Rail Partnership and the Gloucestershire Community Rail Partnership announced the creation of a Youth Transport Forum, to facilitate youth-led action in the region.
Looking ahead
Without a doubt, the two major railway developments in 2025 will be the continued development and establishment of Great British Railways (GBR), and the Railway 200 celebration.
GBR, as we know, promises to unify rail passenger services under one single, government-led umbrella, aiming to end fragmentation and integrate the railways. It will also incorporate Network Rail, owning the infrastructure (thereby uniting track and train), collecting fare revenue, and operating services. This is a truly enormous goal; with an industry as complex as rail in the UK, and the widely varying needs of passengers and financial, human resourcing, and infrastructure challenges, the year ahead will lay the crucial groundwork for how GBR will operate and collaborate with industry. The focus must be on boosting public trust (and therefore ridership) in rail, enabling sustainable growth, growing positive industrial relations, and providing supply chain certainty to rail suppliers.
In turn, the supply chain and wider industry needs to communicate the value of rail itself. Far beyond pure fare revenue, we know that rail contributes £36 billion annually to the UK economy, provides around 600k jobs, and generates £2.20 back into the wider economy for every £1 spent on the rail network. Rail is essential to the economy, to supporting communities, and to enabling the UK’s net zero goals; we must ensure we communicate this value clearly.
Railway 200 will celebrate not only the heritage and history of rail, but also looks to future needs, challenges, and opportunities. The Stockton & Darlington Railway opened on September 27, 1825, and the Railway 200 campaign will celebrate 200 years of rail for the entire year: with education engagement, heritage and special train services, festivals, art exhibitions and much more.
Work on the Midlands Rail Hub is scheduled to ramp up in 2025 – expected to generate over 12,000 jobs, the project will improve connectivity and capacity across the region. Major components of HS2, such as the Carol Green underbridge near Kenilworth, will be completed. In Scotland, East Kilbride will see the completion of a new, accessible station building in Summer 2025, which includes modernised passenger facilities and extended platforms. East West Rail services from Bicester to Bletchley/Milton Keynes will begin running, and the TransPennine Route Upgrade will continue to progress, with continued electrification, enhanced reliability, and improved capacity between major Northern cities. In order to continue to support major rail projects and electrification programmes, we must also ensure we have an industry which is open to and supportive of innovation; not just in products, plant, and materials, but also in structure, delivery, and culture.
Many of us in rail will have heard the old phrase ‘the railways would be perfect if not for the passengers’. I say that 2025 is time to put that expression away for good. The passenger must be our key focus into 2025 and beyond, putting the human user and wider community stakeholders at the heart of everything we do. Rail passenger numbers could nearly double in the next 25 years compared with pre-pandemic levels, according to research by Steer (commissioned by the Railway Industry Association), with demand predicted to grow between 37% and 97% by 2050 under various scenarios.
A railway network which is safe, reliable, and easy to use must be a priority; the British Transport Police reported a 50% increase in gender-based reports of incidents on rail since 2021 (they emphasise that this is an increase in reports rather than an increase in incidents themselves), which is still predicted to only be reflective of around 10-15% of incidents. This is alongside ongoing challenges and incidents regarding people with disabilities being unable to always easily access rail transport, and difficulties with real-time service information provision for all passengers, highlighting that simplicity of use from planning to ticketing to undertaking door to door journeys must be prioritised.
Crucially, the industry must continue to come together to collaborate and grow; sharing our challenges and best practice, celebrating successes both big and small (as demonstrated by the growing Railway 200 campaign), supporting our staff, listening to our passengers, and enabling rail to thrive into 2025 and beyond.
About the author: Daisy Chapman-Chamberlain is Specification Manager at Transport for the North. She focusses on improving transport systems, accessibility, safety and beyond. She is also the Chairperson of the Oxfordshire Community Rail Partnership. Daisy can be reached via LinkedIn.
Image credit: stockadobe.com
