Transport secretary Louise Haigh has appointed West Midlands Combined Authority chief executive Laura Shoaf CBE as the chair of Shadow Great British Railways, which was set up by Ms Haigh a month ago.

SGBR is a first step towards creating Great British Railways in full, although an Act of Parliament will be needed first, so that it can assume the infrastructure responsibilities of Network Rail and the Department for Transport’s Operator of Last Resort. GBR was originally proposed as the industry’s ‘guiding mind’, but is now known as its future ‘directing mind’. 

Before leading the WMCA Laura Shoaf was managing director of Transport for West Midlands where she oversaw major transport investment. She was the first female chair of the Urban Transport Group, which comprises transport leaders from the city regions, and supported the industry on its recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic.

Laura was also one of the UK’s first Transport Champions for Tackling Violence Against Women and Girls. The Department for Transport said ‘her experience will be key in making the rail network more accessible and safer for all passengers’.

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 Shoaf said: ‘The arrival of the railways fundamentally changed the United Kingdom – creating huge growth, new connections between communities, and opening up the opportunity of jobs and adventure to people across the whole of the country.

‘I recognise the great power that our transport network plays in our day to day lives, but in order for it to work, and in order for it to keep opening up these opportunities, it has to be built around our passengers and freight users.

‘It is my privilege to have been asked to chair Shadow Great British Railways, and my focus will be ensuring people are at the heart of the railways and to ensure this remains a focus for years to come.’