We are building one railway with one team – where each problem is everyone’ s problem. And we’ re already moving closer to this future.
Integrated leadership teams are now in place on South Eastern and South Western, and the Anglia region following soon. So, when problems arise anywhere in that part of the network, Jamie [ Burles ], Lawrence [ Bowman ] and Steve [ White ] will be empowered to knock heads together to fix it.”
The Secretary of State was also clear:“ GBR won’ t be a Kafkaesque blob – a plaything of politicians who secretly want to run the railways. Instead, it will be agile, commercially focused and run by people who know the industry in their bones.”
Since the General Election in July 2024, the Government has moved rapidly to deliver on rail reform. By the end of May 2026, nine of the fourteen Train Operating Companies( TOCs) operated in the public sector under DfT Operator Ltd.
Initial steps towards track-train integration have been made, with the establishment of Integrated Railways( IRs), bringing together the TOC and Network Rail Route under a single management team.
These IRs are already reporting benefits from the integration. For example, in May 2026, Steve White, Managing Director of South Eastern Railway, highlighted that between June 2025 and February 2026, metrics such as customer satisfaction, performance and numbers of journeys had all improved for the preceding 12 months. He also reported that subsidy had reduced, with joint working prompting initiatives which reduce operational costs.
Lawrence Bowman, MD of South Western Railway, spoke at a CIRO meeting in May 2026 and noted that integration“ just feels right”, and said he is seeing some of the historic barriers and fragmentation falling away.
The creation of the IRs marks the start of vertical integration. The Government has been clear about its desire to have a single person running each business unit who is accountable for the railway, whether the issue relates to track or train.
We are building one railway with one team – where each problem is everyone’ s problem. And we’ re already moving closer to this future.
Integrated leadership teams are now in place on South Eastern and South Western, and the Anglia region following soon. So, when problems arise anywhere in that part of the network, Jamie [ Burles ], Lawrence [ Bowman ] and Steve [ White ] will be empowered to knock heads together to fix it.”
This increased clarity about accountability is a positive move, enabling decision-making at a strategic level across track and train.
Initiatives which bring together track and train are not confined to the IRs. For example, a Joint Operations Director has been appointed for LNER and Network Rail’ s East Coast Route, and Great Western Railway and Network Rail have brought their Control teams together under a single Director.
www. ciro. org
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