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A renationalised operator says it is not waiting for the ‘structural reform’ which will come with Great British Railways to get more passengers on board.

Northern, which was returned to public ownership in March 2020, has unveiled a ‘30 by 30’ plan intended to increase annual passenger totals by 30 million at the end of this decade.

It says its plan will ‘achieve sustainable, long-term growth’ through a combination of ‘organic’ demand, better performance under Northern’s ‘90/2’ performance targets (90 per cent of trains arriving within three minutes and fewer than 2 per cent cancelled), and initiatives such as Pay As You Go ticketing and better integration with other transport modes to improve connections.

Each of these three strategies should be attracting another 10 million passengers a year by 2030.

Northern’s commercial and customer director Alex Hornby said: ‘Our vision for 30 by 30 is rooted in confidence and user research.

‘Our data shows that the demand for rail travel is greater than ever, and with improved performance, better value and greater convenience, we can make rail the natural choice for even more people and how they travel across the North.

‘This is a growth plan with purpose. It is customer-led, and we aim to deliver it alongside our stakeholder partners. It aligns closely with local ambitions, the region’s economic goals and national transport strategy.’

Northern points to an encouraging recovery in passenger numbers since the Covid lockdowns five years ago, ‘best-ever revenue’ days and customer satisfaction which is above the national average. The operator added that it ‘continues to make a significant contribution to regional economic growth’, and that its plan ‘complements wider industry goals’.

The Railways Bill creating Great British Railways was introduced in the House of Commons on 5 November, but the date of the Second Reading which will provide an opportunity for a full debate has not yet been announced.

Readers’ comments

What, above all, I'd like to know in this current re-jigging, is what criteria should separate publicly owned/operated services  and trains run on a private, free enterprise basis.* To me, it seems the most relevant question should be as to whether the service  group (Sector) concerned is/isn't a natural monopoly. Current commuter and suburban services, for example would qualify, whereas Intercity plus parts of Cross Country and Transpennine should be provided by commercial, competing entities. I could carry on with the way in which subsidies would fit into this model, but don't want to take up too much space. 

David C. Smith, Bletchley

[*The answer is to be found in the provisions of the Railways Bill and their consequences. Open access (passenger and freight) operators will continue to be free enterprise, although subject to regulation. All other National Rail operators will be state owned.--Ed.]

I'm not critical of this basic divide. It is needed to try to meet the diversity of activity and demand on GBR. My questioning is regarding just on what basis the decisions are to be made** as to which users suit state ownership and which would perform best as independent, competing organisations. 

David C. Smith, Bletchley

[**Wrong tense, I fear: the decisions have been made.--Ed.]

I would have been happier if these decisions were not made on party political grounds.***

David C. Smith, Bletchley

[***No doubt, but the 1947 Transport Act (nationalisation) and the 1993 Railways Acf (privatisation) were both party political decisions. Moreover, the policy now being pursued by the present government was set out in its manifesto last year. You may disagree (it is your right to do so) but the reforms are under way.--Ed.]

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