What is Great British Railways? How will it end rail industry fragmentation? And how can it deliver a rail network that works for customers, taxpayers, politicians, and the wider public?

The new organisation is at the heart of the William-Shapps Plan for Rail, which reported in May. Keith Williams, Chair of the Review, describes the British railway network as a “complex Rubik’s cube” and says Great British Railways should be a central ‘guiding mind’ in a reformed rail system.

This event explored how to make a reformed rail network work for Great Britain’s long-term post-pandemic future, drawing on lessons from previous attempts at reshaping the rail industry and experiences of setting up arms-length bodies elsewhere.

Our panel:

• Keith Williams, independent Chair of the Williams Review
• The Rt Hon. the Lord Darling of Roulanish, former Secretary of State for Transport and former Chancellor of the Exchequer
• Maria Machancoses, CEO of Midlands Connect
• Andy Bagnall, Director General of the Rail Delivery Group

The event was chaired by Dr Matthew Gill, Senior Fellow at the Institute for Government.

#IfGRail

We are grateful to The Rail Delivery Group for their support with this event.

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