THE Government has today announced what it describes as a ‘landmark rail reform bill’ that will establish a new passenger watchdog.

Plans for the bill, which the Government says will ‘rewire Britain’s railways’, has today, Tuesday, February 18, been unveiled.

It includes setting up ‘a powerful passenger watchdog’ that will give passengers ‘a voice and hold train operators to account’.

The watchdog, dubbed ‘Great British Railways’ (GBR), is a ‘once in a generation overhaul’ and will deliver reliable services for passengers and catalyse growth across the country, according to the Department of Transport (DofT)

Outlined in a consultation launched today, the DofT say the plans will ‘smash a broken rail system, put passengers at the forefront of all decisions made on the railways, ending major failure and disruptions like the 2018 timetabling crisis.’

Secretary of State for Transport Heidi Alexander said: ‘Passengers have put up with broken railways for far too long.

‘This landmark reform will sweep away decades of failure, creating a Great British Railways passengers can rely on.

‘We’re giving passengers a powerful voice with a new watchdog dedicated to addressing their biggest concerns, building railways people can trust, improving our services and boosting the economy in the process – the priority in our Plan for Change.’

The consultation starts today and will last for eight weeks.