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Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill (Lab)

Speaking in the House of Lords on 12 October 2026

Debate

Railways Bill

Contribution

The noble Lord is right, and of course I can. At that stage the railway did not have many trains on it, and one of the principal benefits of the post-1993 situation was the ability of franchisees to run more services. However, we are not dealing with the railway in that circumstance now; we are dealing with the post-Covid railway, in which very few actors in the operational space have any interest in developing the passenger market. That is why the Government are in the position we are in and why public ownership is now the right thing to do. I contend that the way in which we propose to manage the railway, which is people in charge of the railway on a route and regional basis, is the way in which you see innovation encouraged and the way in which you seek to develop the passenger market.

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