RDG
A unified voice Rail Delivery Group
Michael Roberts explains why greater co-ordination is the next logical step for the industry to evolve to the next stage of capability
I
n the past 20 years, improvements to infrastructure and services have transformed the railway, encouraging far greater use of rail
by passengers and businesses which is generating growing revenue for the government to reinvest in the network. While there is much to be proud of,
there is also much more we can do. We are determined to continue improving services, maintaining our drive for efficiency and meeting the rising demand for capacity, in itself a dramatic measure of our success. Annual passenger journey numbers are forecast to increase by another 400 million, reaching 1.9 billion by 2019. If we are to meet those challenges while ensuring we have a railway fit for the 21st century, we need to continue improving the way we work. An important step in that direction was taken with the creation of the Rail Delivery Group (RDG) in May 2011, bringing together the chief executives of passenger operator owning groups, freight operator owning groups and Network Rail. Under the auspices of its members,
the RDG has overseen the development of policies such as the industry strategic business plan for CP5, engaged with the
DfT on the future of franchising and initiated practical proposals to improve industry asset management. Greater co- ordination is the next logical step for the industry to evolve to the next stage of capability. To that end, the RDG agreed in October to combine the ATOC communications and policy functions with complementary resources from Network Rail and support from other RDG members. The creation of an expanded executive team will strengthen the RDG’s capabilities to develop policies which benefit rail users and taxpayers, and enable it to provide the railway with a unified voice. Under this pooling of resources,
the former ATOC corporate affairs and policy teams, headed by Edward Welsh and Nick Ellins respectively and strengthened by the addition of Network Rail secondees, will in future speak or formulate policy for the wider rail industry represented by RDG. They will do so alongside arrangements to support existing RDG workstreams, such as on freight, reporting to me as Graham Smith’s successor as director general of the RDG. The ATOC business services teams will continue to run the passenger
operator schemes, that is, National Rail Enquiries, Rail Settlement Plan, Rail Staff Travel and the Commercial, Operations and Engineering Schemes. I remain as ATOC chief executive alongside my new RDG role: the business services teams will report to me as before under their existing individual governance arrangements. These arrangements will be complemented by an ATOC board which will continue, but with a changed focus from policy to ensuring a co- ordinated approach to business service provision, and without the need in future for an independent chairman.
Building on success Over the next few months, and led by RDG members, the new executive team will put in place the building blocks to support existing and future RDG workstreams, communicate actively on the major issues facing the industry and where possible streamline policy-making within the industry. In so doing, we have an exciting opportunity to build on the success of the past two decades and to demonstrate that the railway remains a key ingredient to the future success of Britain.
•
Michael Roberts is director general of the Rail Delivery Group
December 2013 Page 51
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