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The Transport Secretary has today (3 October 2024) appointed Laura Shoaf as Chair of Shadow Great British Railways (SGBR).

In the role, Laura will help drive the government’s overhaul of the railways, bringing senior leaders together to deliver improvements for passengers and work towards a more unified rail system. SGBR will also help design Great British Railways – a permanent body that will oversee railway infrastructure and services.

Transport Secretary, Louise Haigh, said:

For too long, passengers have suffered from a fragmented rail system that doesn’t work in their interests – we’re going to change that.

Establishing Shadow Great British Railways is a significant step towards delivering a unified railway with passengers at its heart by bringing together track and train – and it’s fantastic we have someone of Laura’s calibre to drive forward reforms.

Laura brings immense hands-on experience of delivering change and a shared desire to move fast and deliver change – I’m looking forward to working with her to fix our railways and getting Britain moving again.

SGBR Chair, Laura Shoaf, said:

The arrival of the railways fundamentally changed the United Kingdom – creating huge growth, new connections between communities and opening up the opportunity of jobs and adventure to people across the whole of the country.

I recognise the great power that our transport network plays in our day to day lives, but in order for it to work and in order for it to keep opening up these opportunities, it has to be built around our passengers and freight users.

It is my privilege to have been asked to Chair Shadow Great British Railways and my focus will be ensuring people are at the heart of the railways and to ensure this remains a focus for years to come.

The government’s rail reforms will see an end to wasteful fragmentation on our railways, unifying the oversight of track and train under Great British Railways.