It turns out that the 20th September announcement wasn't the launch of the review, and that happened in a
Commons statements by Grayling on 11th October. That rambled on a bit, and covered other subjects too, but I was struck by this in the introduction to what is officially called The Rail Review:
"As we now know, the railways were not in terminal decline after all – they had simply been starved of investment."
We've got used to the claim that the rise in demand for rail travel after a long fall was due to privatisation, which can't be proved or disproved but looks unlikely. But is he really saying that demand had actually been strong, but was unmet due to underinvestment?
The
terms of reference for this review are online, rather than in a document, and in their main part say:
Purpose
The government’s vision is for the UK▸ to have a world-class railway, working as part of the wider transport network and delivering new opportunities across the nation. The Rail Review has been established to recommend the most appropriate organisational and commercial frameworks to deliver the government’s vision. It should be comprehensive in its scope and bold in its thinking, challenging received wisdom and looking to innovate.
The Review will be independently chaired. Its recommendations should support delivery of:
commercial models for the provision of rail services that prioritise the interests of passengers and taxpayers
rail industry structures that promote clear accountability and effective joint-working for both passengers and the freight sector
a system that is financially sustainable and able to address long-term cost pressures
a railway that is able to offer good value fares for passengers, while keeping costs down for taxpayers
improved industrial relations, to reduce disruption and improve reliability for passengers
a rail sector with the agility to respond to future challenges and opportunities
The Review’s remit does not include the infrastructure and services that should be provided by the railway. It will therefore not reconsider public investment decisions made through existing franchise agreements, Control Period 6 commitments, High Speed 2 and other major projects, or spending decisions that will be made through Spending Review 2019.
The government is investing record levels in the railways. Recommendations should avoid negative impacts on the public sector balance sheet and / or creating additional government expenditure beyond reasonable transition costs. The Review’s conclusions will be reached in the context of the Department for Transport’s settlement at Spending Review 2019.
Outputs
The Review may publish interim reports during the period of its work.
The Review’s final report will be a government White Paper, which will be published in autumn 2019. It will set out the government’s intentions for reform of the rail sector. This White Paper is also expected to reflect ongoing improvements the government is making to passenger experience during the course of the Review.
That list of objectives does not impress - it looks more like a few ideas hastily scribbled on the back of a restaurant bill. I'm reminded of the Economist writing about the cabinet during one of the first pre-reshuffle periods of this government. Having been very rude about most of them, it suggested that there was some talent on the back benches, but "there are no big thinkers in the cabinet, nor any small ones either". And, after being extremely scathing about Boris, it asked "just what is the point of Chris Grayling?".
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