Shoaf to chair Shadow Great British Railways

Laura Shoaf has been appointed chair of Shadow Great British Railways (SGBR), the body set up to bring together senior leaders from Network Rail, the DfT’s Operator of Last Resort and the department’s Rail Services Group. It will help the Government design Great British Railways – a permanent body that will oversee services such as ticketing and timetables. 

Shoaf will lead the body alongside her role as Chief Executive of West Midlands Combined Authority, a post she has held since June 2021. Prior to that she spent three years as Managing Director at Transport for West Midlands, where she oversaw a multi-million pound transport investment package for the region. She was the first female chair of the Urban Transport Group, which comprises transport leaders from across the UK, and supported the industry on its recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Transport Secretary, Louise Haigh, said: “For too long, passengers have suffered from a fragmented rail system that doesn’t work in their interests – we’re going to change that.

“Establishing Shadow Great British Railways is a significant step towards delivering a unified railway with passengers at its heart by bringing together track and train – and it’s fantastic we have someone of Laura’s calibre to drive forward reforms.

“Laura brings immense hands-on experience of delivering change and a shared desire to move fast and deliver change – I’m looking forward to working with her to fix our railways and getting Britain moving again.”

SGBR Chair, Laura Shoaf, said: “There is great power in our transport network, but in order for it to work, and in order for it to keep opening up opportunities in jobs and growth, it has to be built around our passengers and freight users.

“The Government’s rail reforms will see an end to wasteful fragmentation on our railways, unifying the oversight of track and train under Great British Railways.”