As the UK rail sector marks its 200th anniversary, it stands at a critical point in its history. With passenger services being brought back into public ownership under Great British Railways (GBR), the sector has a once-in-a-generation opportunity to redefine itself. But without a deep-rooted culture shift, its ongoing structural reforms risk failing to deliver the change the industry really needs.
In a recent post, Diana Hogbin-Mills and Laura Wright argued persuasively that rail reform had become a "waiting game", with the industry trapped by delay, uncertainty and inertia, and that a "culture of action" is needed to break out of this cycle. While policy changes and organisational restructuring dominate the debate around rail, culture – the foundation on which any successful transformation has to be built – remains something of an afterthought.
Without a fundamental cultural rethink, however, the UK rail industry will continue to struggle with talent shortages and a disconnection from the needs of modern passengers and employees alike.
Culture is not an airy, intangible concept; it is a decisive factor in whether organisations thrive or stagnate. In her book Why Are We Here?, Jennifer Moss explores how workplace culture directly impacts engagement, productivity and overall performance. A positive culture can mean the difference between attracting and retaining skilled workers, and losing them to other sectors.
Likewise, it could mean empowering employees to innovate rather than reinforcing outdated hierarchies that stifle progress. The rail sector, it must be said, struggles with several entrenched cultural problems; among them resistance to new approaches that could improve service delivery, a lack of diversity and inclusion, and siloed working, with different railway bodies working disjointedly, in isolation from one another.
One of the key points Jennifer Moss makes is that what has worked up to now might not work in the future, particularly during periods of significant transformation and upheaval. Leaders at every level of the industry must therefore take responsibility for creating a new culture. This starts with fostering a workplace that values openness, adaptability and continuous learning.
The creation of GBR provides an opportunity to reset expectations and forge closer working relationships. Bringing passenger services under a new umbrella body could help different teams come together and create a stronger sense of collective purpose and responsibility among them, working towards shared objectives while recognising differences in regional cultures.
But this will only happen if leadership actively promotes cross-industry collaboration, champions employee wellbeing and ensures that inclusion is more than a box-ticking exercise. Culture is shaped decisively from the top, and without visible commitment from leadership in this area, change will not filter down.
The rail industry must also move away from hierarchical, bureaucratic decision-making processes and empower employees to drive change from within. Those on the frontlines of rail operations – drivers, engineers, signallers and station staff, among others – are well placed to identify inefficiencies and propose solutions. Too often, however, their insights are overlooked.
Providing space for open dialogue, where all employees feel heard and valued, can unlock genuine improvements in service delivery and efficiency. Innovation is not just a matter of bringing in the latest technology and hoping for the best; it should also extend to new ways of working, problem-solving and engaging with both the railway workforce and passengers.
At its core, the future of UK rail must be people-centric, both in how it treats employees and passengers. A healthier working culture could not only help attract and retain the right talent but also lead to better service, higher customer satisfaction and, ultimately, a more sustainable industry, far better equipped to handle the challenges of the coming years.
What's more, at a time when the rail sector is faced with a burgeoning skills crisis, it cannot afford to neglect this factor. According to the National Skills Academy for Rail, a third of UK rail's workforce is aged 50 or over, with up to 90,000 workers expected to leave the industry through retirement and other forms of attrition by 2030. This risks leaving the sector with gaping skills gaps in a range of key areas, threatening its ability to deliver the transformation it is currently embarked on.
Many young people, however, don't see careers in rail as a viable option. There remains a perception that the industry is predominantly male, white and middle-aged, despite a slight uptick in gender diversity last year (17.4% versus 16% in 2023). The industry is taking steps to address its image problem, but needs to examine its working culture more fundamentally to make it more diverse.
This is why cultural change is not merely a 'nice-to-have' or an optional extra – it is an urgent practical necessity. UK rail has to build the workforce of the future, and if GBR and the wider industry fail to grasp this now, they risk missing a vital opportunity to reshape the sector for the better. The time for waiting games is indeed over: the time for action is now.
