Arriva UK Trains, which is owned by Deutsche Bahn and was the last private sector operator of Northern, has called for an industry summit about the future of open access.
Arriva’s move has followed the George Bradshaw Address last week, in which transport secretary Mark Harper spoke of the government’s commitment to reform, including the possibility of more open access services.
Arriva UK Trains managing director David Brown said: ‘We have long called for reform which builds on the very best of what the rail industry does and delivers cost-effective, modernised services for customers and communities.
‘It is welcome news that the focus has moved from diagnosing well-understood challenges to delivering action for the post-pandemic age, including through change that doesn’t require legislation and ensures customers quickly experience improvements and the taxpayer benefits. Arriva are ready and willing to help the railways grow and generate revenue to reduce taxpayer subsidy through our commercial expertise and understanding of what customers want.
‘It is particularly pleasing to see government commitment to supporting more open access services where it benefits passengers and taxpayers. We know through our stewardship of Grand Central and by watching other open access operations, the innovation and customer-focused improvements that can be delivered through such services.
‘We are calling for an Open Access Summit bringing together government, the regulator, industry, Network Rail and the Great British Railways Transition Team to collectively work through the barriers and blockers and agree practical steps for unleashing more of these innovative services, including through making best use of unused capacity on the network.’
The original plan for railway privatisation in the 1990s had envisaged a ‘right of access’ which could have meant almost unlimited open access, but this idea was abandoned at a very early stage in favour of ‘moderation of competition’ to protect those operators who had a government franchise.
Arriva UK Trains owns open access operator Grand Central. It also currently operates Chiltern Railways and CrossCountry under risk-free contracts with the government after franchises were abolished in September 2020, during the Covid pandemic.