RAIL unions have slammed the government’s railway review as a “fix” after the investigation’s head suggested the government should not be running Britain’s struggling privatised railways.

Keith Williams, who is carrying out a review of Britain’s railways for the government, told the BBC that a new, independent “fat controller” style figure should be in charge of the railways, and that the Department for Transport should not manage it.

He also indicated that a railway franchise should last longer than the current average of seven to eight years.

Mr Williams, a former businessman, was selected to run the review by Transport Secretary Chris Grayling.

His appointment made rails unions sceptical from the start.

TSSA general secretary Manuel Cortes said that the suggestions reminded him of the Strategic Rail Authority (SRA), a failed body which provided advice and direction to railway operators from 2001 to 2006.

Mr Cortes added: “Mr Williams has already said that the current rail franchising model is finished — but what he is offering today is a little more than a sleight of hand.

“Creating a new body is wildly out of step with public demands for a public railway.”

The Rail Review was launched last September after a separate investigation into disruption following a timetable change in May 2018 suggested “nobody took charge.”

RMT general secretary Mick Cash said: “RMT warned from the off that Keith Williams had been hand-picked by Chris Grayling and the Tories to try and get them off the hook over the privatised chaos on our railways and this BBC interview shows we were dead right.

“RMT also warned that Keith Williams would duck the issue of public ownership of the railways — the option supported by over two thirds of the British people.”

Rail drivers’ union Aslef was equally unimpressed.

“The problem with Britain's railways is the franchising system, which hasn’t worked, doesn’t work and will not work,” said general secretary Mick Whelan. “The model is broken. That is what Mr Williams needs to address, not this two-bit half-baked idea to paper over the cracks on the rails.”

Labour shadow transport secretary Andy McDonald said: “Continuing with private train operators subject to performance related payments means sticking with a failed, unaccountable and disjointed railway.

“We should bring the track and train together in a single company in public ownership — but, critically, at arm’s length from government and removed from government interference and micromanagement.”