Sunday train services will be as reliable as those on weekdays under plans to renationalise the railways, the new transport secretary will claim in a keynote speech on Monday.
Issuing a series of pledges on which the government will be judged by millions of passengers – as well as its political opponents – Heidi Alexander will cite the creation of a network “where Sunday services are as reliable as Monday’s” as one of her key priorities.
In her first speech on rail since taking over from Louise Haigh, who resigned in November, Alexander will spell out the scale of the task ahead.
She will say the new public body Great British Railways (GBR), which will be established by legislation to be introduced late this year, will become “second in size and importance only to the NHS”.
It is expected that GBR will employ a total of about 90,000 people, while the NHS in England employs about 1.5 million staff.
The rail organisation will manage the process of bringing the network under national ownership as private operators’ franchises expire, and will establish the running of trains and tracks under the same body.
Rail experts will be sceptical about the government’s chances of creating a Sunday service on a par with that of weekdays without first taking on powerful rail unions, which are likely to resist more Sunday working.
Just before the general election last year, rail industry leaders urged ministers to tackle the issue of poor services on Sundays caused by staff shortages, as many services became very severely depleted.
Last summer, state-run Northern trains was particularly badly affected, with 282 trains cancelled across its network on one Sunday in late June.
Several operators reported that they could not run anything like normal timetables because of staffing issues.
Former rail minister Norman Baker said it would be very difficult to deliver on the pledge because union agreements did not require train drivers to work on Sundays.
“These agreements will either have to be renegotiated or they will have to pay drivers huge extra sums to get them to work on Sundays.”
The whole process of establishing a network run by private operators had, Baker said, led to an overall shortage of drivers.
Mick Lynch, general secretary of the Rail, Maritime and Transport Union (RMT), said there would be a willingness to discuss changes but on strict conditions.
“We are ready to engage with the companies and the Department for Transport to shape the future of our railways,” he said. “This includes ensuring a fair deal for rail workers that prioritises safety, health, and work-life balance, alongside fair pay and conditions.”
Alexander will say that the aim of reform is to turn the railways from a system for “private profit” to one operating for “public good”.
She will stress that a renationalised service will help deliver economic growth, with local mayors being given greater power to tailor regional services to local people’s needs.
Ministers are also promising that passengers travelling in England will be shown how often their trains are delayed and cancelled on screens at stations.
