The UK spends around GBP 1.5 billion a year maintaining passenger trains. Yet too much of this market remains shaped by long-term lock-in, limited transparency and dependence on suppliers that control access to technical data, diagnostics, software and spare parts.
As more services move into public ownership, this becomes a direct value-for-money issue for passengers and the taxpayers that will be funding Great British Railways (GBR).
ALLRAIL Policy Director John Thomas says:
“There must be a more transparent, accountable and contestable rolling stock maintenance market — one where manufacturers, independent maintainers and operator-led models can all compete on safety, reliability, innovation and whole-life value”.
- The rail regulator ORR’s new market review on this very issue is the right moment to act.
Rolling stock maintenance happens behind the scenes. But it will help determine the future cost and performance of the entire rail system.