SINCE the Williams-Shapps Plan for Rail was published in 2021, there has been pushback from previous rail ministers combined with a stronger voice from Rail Partners, the new organisation that represents private companies operating National Rail Contracts (which replaced franchises during the pandemic).
The principal objection to the plan is the lack of an incentive for train operating companies to promote revenue enhancing ideas, as future contracts will simply reimburse the costs of running a specified timetable and the resources needed to do that.
This lack of revenue responsibility also means there is less incentive to enforce revenue protection. To combat fare evasion, late January saw penalty fares rise from £20 to £100, reduced to £50 if paid within 21 days, plus the price of a full single fare for the journey being undertaken. It is hard to imagine many will
