King's Speech 2024: Transport
Research briefing setting out the government’s commitments covering transport for the House of Lords debate on the 2024 King’s Speech.
In its 2024 election manifesto the Labour Party said it would reform the railways and bring them into public ownership. It said it would establish a new body, called Great British Railways (GBR), which would be in charge of Britain’s railway infrastructure and services, and “responsible for the day-to-day operational delivery of the railways, for ensuring infrastructure and services work together, and for innovations and improvements in the experience of passengers and freight users”. Existing contracts with private companies that are currently operating train services would be brought under GBR when they expired or were broken.
The manifesto also said the party would introduce reforms to bus systems. It stated it would make it easier for local leaders to introduce franchising of local bus services, and would lift the current ban on councils setting up bus operators.
The Library’s briefings for the King’s Speech draw on the Labour Party’s manifesto and other material in the public domain. They have been written in advance of the 2024 King’s Speech to help members of the House of Lords prepare for the debate on the speech. They do not constitute official information about the government’s intentions or provide a complete list of bills to be announced.