The Railways Bill 2024-26 is the Government's primary structural rail-reform vehicle, creating Great British Railways (GBR) as a publicly-owned 'directing mind' that brings track and train into a single entity, alongside a strengthened passenger watchdog, a new access regime on GBR's network, and statutory roles for devolved governments and mayoral authorities.
It is the most significant rewrite of the Railways Act 1993 architecture since privatisation: it ends the ORR's role as access decision-maker on the GBR network (replacing it with an appeals function), reshapes the periodic review funding cycle, gives the Secretary of State power to amend existing track access contracts retrospectively, and consolidates passenger-protection functions currently split across ORR, Transport Focus and the Rail Ombudsman.
Introduced as Bill 325 on 5 November 2025, the Bill completed Commons Public Bill Committee on 10 February 2026 (reprinted as Bill 373 as amended in Committee) and remains at Report stage with daily amendment papers running through April-May 2026; the Scottish Parliament agreed an LCM on 24 March 2026 and DfTO began absorbing operator staff from 1 April 2026.
The current operative text following Public Bill Committee; 99 clauses and 4 Schedules including a new Schedule 3 on transfer schemes and the renumbered access-regime provisions.
The introduction print of 5 November 2025 — 93 clauses and 3 Schedules establishing GBR, the funding regime, designation of services, the Passengers' Council and the new access framework.
Government's November 2025 response to the rail reform consultation, setting the policy frame the Bill operationalises (passenger watchdog, integrated track and train, devolved roles).
DfT's clause-by-clause explanatory notes; sets out the policy intent for GBR as a 'directing mind', the periodic-review-replacement business-plan funding cycle, and the access-regime appeals architecture.
Department's Convention-compatibility analysis flagging Article 6(1) (ORR's dual statutory roles in access appeals) and A1P1 (retrospective amendment of existing track access contracts under clause 71).
Memorandum to the Delegated Powers and Regulatory Reform Committee setting out and justifying the Bill's delegated powers, including the designation power in clause 1 and the access-contract amendment power in clause 71.
Final-stage IA setting out the rationale: information/coordination failure, principal-agent issues, externalities and productive inefficiency in the post-privatisation structure; subsequently rated Green by the RPC.
DfT's analysis of how Bill measures affect protected characteristics — informs the disabled-passenger duties in clause 18 and the accessibility roadmap commitments.
DfT's published collection of factsheets, IAs and supporting documents to accompany the Bill's introduction.
DfT/Scottish Government framework for how the Bill's track-and-train integration will apply in Scotland, including the GBR subsidiary/joint-company option.
DfT/Welsh Government MoU on applying the Bill in Wales and the Borders, partnering Transport for Wales with GBR and addressing Core Valley Lines.
LCM agreed by the Scottish Parliament on 24 March 2026 — necessary devolution underpinning for clauses bearing on Scottish railway activities.
Discrete secondary legislation modernising railway byelaws under the existing Transport Act 2000 framework, alongside Bill passage.
DfT roadmap of actions to make railways more accessible in the run-up to GBR establishment — operationalises the disability-related duties in clauses 18 and 33-34.
The select committee's pre-legislative-style scrutiny report on the Bill, addressing freight, accessibility, devolution interface and the design of the access regime.
Government's formal response (April 2026) to the Transport Committee's 8th Report.
Independent Commons Library overview of the Bill's contents, policy background and parliamentary progress.
Regulatory Policy Committee opinion confirming the DfT's IA is fit for purpose.
Confirmatory RPC opinion published alongside introduction.
Commons Second Reading — the principal stage at which Members tested the policy frame before Committee.
Government response executive summary distilling consultation themes into Bill design choices.
Original DfT consultation seeking views on proposals to reform Great Britain's railways, prior to the Bill.
The previous administration's draft Rail Reform Bill — predecessor text scrutinised by the Transport Committee in 2024 that informed the structure of the present Bill.
Conservative-era launch of the draft Rail Reform Bill, identifying continuity in the track-and-train integration policy direction.
The originating consultation whose response shaped the Bill as introduced.
Sets out which consultation positions were carried into the Bill text.
Companion to the full response.
Adjacent operational consultation closing alongside Bill passage — relevant to the Passengers' Council standards framework.
Why linked: The 2024 Labour manifesto commitment is the foundational political driver; the IA explicitly states the Bill 'delivers on the government's commitment to create a unified and simplified rail sector'.
Why linked: The Bill's Part 2 Chapter 2 (the Passengers' Council) implements this manifesto commitment by consolidating consumer functions from ORR, Transport Focus and the Rail Ombudsman.
Why linked: The King's Speech 2026 dedicated section on the Railways and Passenger Benefits Bill positions structural reform plus passenger-rights reform as a single legislative package.
Draft bill sets out blueprint for bringing track and train together under a new Great British Railways, leveraging private sector innovation
Why linked: Predecessor commitment carried forward — the previous administration's February 2024 Draft Rail Reform Bill identified track-and-train integration as the structural target.
Why linked: DfT Railways Bill factsheet on introducing and designing GBR.
In response to: Railways Bill
Why linked: DfT Railways Bill factsheet on funding GBR.
In response to: Railways Bill
Why linked: DfT Railways Bill factsheet on making best use of the rail network.
In response to: Railways Bill
Why linked: DfT Railways Bill factsheet on rail freight — operationalising the freight duty.
In response to: Railways Bill
Why linked: DfT Railways Bill factsheet on accessibility — operationalising accessibility provisions.
In response to: Railways Bill
Why linked: DfT Railways Bill factsheet on fares — operationalising fares provisions.
In response to: Railways Bill
Why linked: DfT Railways Bill factsheet on devolved and local government — operationalising the devolution interface.
In response to: Railways Bill
Why linked: DfT Railways Bill factsheet on tickets and retail — operationalising the GBR retail code.
In response to: Railways Bill
Why linked: DfT Railways Bill factsheet: holding GBR to account — operationalising explainer.
In response to: Railways Bill
Why linked: DfT Railways Bill factsheet: Passenger Watchdog — operationalising explainer.
In response to: Railways Bill
Why linked: DfT Railways Bill factsheet: Long-Term Rail Strategy — operationalising explainer.
In response to: Railways Bill
Why linked: Filled the "King's Speech 2026 background briefing notes on rail reform" gap via web research
The full PDF of the King's Speech 2026 background briefing notes from the Prime Minister's Office, containing dedicated section on the Railways and Passenger Benefits Bill (p.75) setting out the rationale for establishing Great British Railways.
Why linked: Filled the "King's Speech 2026 background briefing notes on rail reform" gap via web research
The King's Speech 2026 bill to increase confidence in the security of immigration and asylum systems and support a firm but fair framework.
Archived: codex: kings-speech cross-bill cleanup · 15 May 2026
Why linked: British Transport Police is a responsible body for the thread; this CNI charter relates to critical infrastructure protection which may be relevant to rail industry transition and passenger safety frameworks
This document sets out telecoms companies’ approach to protect CNI during telecoms modernisations.
Why linked: King's Speech 2026 background briefing notes - foundational source document for the King's Speech that announced this bill
Read the briefing notes on the announcements made in the 2026 King’s Speech.
Why linked: The King's Speech 2026 and official briefing notes announce the Railways and Passenger Benefits Bill as part of the government's legislative programme.
The King's Speech 2026 transport bill to establish Great British Railways and deliver passenger-focused rail reform.
Why linked: MoU between SoS and Welsh Ministers on applying the Bill in Wales — implementation document.
Sets out roles and responsibilities of the Department for Transport and the Welsh Government on how Great British Railways and Transport for Wales will collaborate on the running of the railway in Wales.
Why linked: Framework for MoU between SoS and Scottish Ministers on applying the Bill — implementation document.
Sets out plans for publication of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Scottish Ministers on how Great British Railways may deliver services in Scotland.
Why linked: Government response to ORR's independent review of train operator revenue protection practices (March 2026) — operationalises the SoS's 2025 acceptance of ORR recommendations on revenue protection under public ownership
Government's response to the Office of Rail and Road's independent review of train operator revenue protection practices.
Why linked: Cited by workspace synthesis
Accounting officer assessment summaries for the Department for Transport’s (DfT) programmes and projects in the Government Major Projects Portfolio (GMPP).
Why linked: Filled the "Government rail strategy or rail reform policy documents that frame the Bill's objectives" gap via web research
The Department for Transport's response to the consultation on the Railways Bill.
Why linked: DfT's Accessible railways roadmap published the same day as Bill introduction — operationalises the disability-related duties in clauses 18 and 33-34.
Sets out actions government is taking to make railways more accessible, leading up to the establishment of Great British Railways (GBR).
Why linked: Cited by workspace synthesis
Provides more information about the Railways Bill, which was introduced in the House of Commons on 5 November 2025.
Why linked: ORR annual report and accounts 2024-25 - regulator performance and rail oversight
Office of Rail and Road annual report and resource accounts for the 2024 to 2025 period.
Why linked: ORR annual report 2023-24; Office of Rail and Road is responsible body for the thread and this provides regulatory context and performance data
Office of Rail and Road annual report and resource accounts for the 2023 to 2024 period.
Why linked: Conservative Government's predecessor draft Rail Reform Bill (Feb 2024).
The draft Rail Reform Bill contains the primary legislative measures, which form a key part of delivering rail reform in Great Britain.
Why linked: Filled the "Franchise and concession reform documentation" gap via web research
A DfT publication (October 2021) summarising the future passenger service contracts (PSCs) offer — the concession model intended to replace franchising — and what it means for the UK rail industry under the Williams-Shapps reform agenda.
Why linked: Transport Focus tailored review; Transport Focus is responsible body for the thread and this assesses its role in rail passenger advocacy
Report which sets out the findings and recommendations of the tailored review of Transport Focus, the non-departmental public body.
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The Railways Bill 2024-26 (Bill 325 as introduced; Bill 373 as amended in Committee) is the structural follow-up to the Passenger Railway Services (Public Ownership) Act 2024 1 and operationalises Labour's 2024 manifesto commitment to bring rail back into public ownership 2. It creates Great British Railways as a publicly-owned 'directing mind' that unifies track and train, replaces the ORR's access decision-making on the GBR network with an appellate function applying judicial-review principles, redesigns the periodic-review funding cycle into a Secretary-of-State-led business-plan settlement, and consolidates passenger-protection functions from ORR, Transport Focus and the Rail Ombudsman into a strengthened Passengers' Council. Introduced on 5 November 2025, the Bill cleared Commons Public Bill Committee on 10 February 2026 3 and is in the Report-stage amendment-paper run 4 with the Scottish LCM secured on 24 March 2026 5.
The Bill sits between Public Bill Committee and Report stage in the Commons. The Committee version (Bill 373) was reprinted on 10 February 2026 with three new clauses inserted — most notably clause 85 on charging for removal of road vehicles and an expanded transfer-schemes schedule 1. Daily amendment papers have been running through March, April and May 2026, with the most recent at the time of this build dated 30 April 2026 2.
Delivery infrastructure is already moving in parallel. DfT Operator Ltd absorbed the first wave of TOC staff on 1 April 2026, prompting written questions about sequencing relative to Royal Assent 3. Two non-executive directors (Laura Shoaf and Tony Poulter) joined the DFTO board on 20 March 2026 4, and Alex Hynes was named CEO of DFTO ahead of the Bill's introduction.
The devolved-government interface is largely settled in principle. The framework MoU with Scottish Ministers and the full MoU with Welsh Ministers were published on 25 March 2026 56, and the Scottish Parliament agreed an LCM the day before 7. The Welsh Senedd equivalent is still expected. The Transport Committee's 8th Report scrutinising the Bill 8 has received a Government response in the 4th Special Report of 24 April 2026 9. The Commons Library briefing CBP-10386 10 and the RPC Green opinion on the DfT IA 11 complete the principal scrutiny inputs.
The most material recent moves cluster around late March 2026. The Department published the framework Memorandum of Understanding with Scottish Ministers and the substantive MoU with Welsh Ministers on 25 March 2026 12, pairing with two same-day press releases announcing the devolved settlements 34. The Equalities Impact Assessment was published the previous day 5. On 17 March 2026 the Department announced Delay Repay reforms intended for delivery under GBR 6 and published the Government response to the ORR's independent review of train-operator revenue-protection practices 7.
DFTO board appointments on 20 March 2026 8 and the 1 April 2026 staff transfers 9 mark the practical stand-up of the GBR operational vehicle. The 24 April 2026 Government response to the Transport Committee's 8th Report (the 4th Special Report) 10 is the principal recent select-committee interaction. Open-access operator concerns about clause 71 have continued to surface in PQs, including PQ 129358 (28 April 2026) on how ORR applies state-aid principles to access applications 11.
Report stage and Third Reading in the Commons are the next procedural gates; the daily amendment-paper cadence through April-May 2026 1 suggests the Government is processing a substantial volume of amendments ahead of those stages. Lords scrutiny is then expected to concentrate on the two ECHR-flagged provisions: clause 71's retrospective power to amend existing track access contracts (engaging A1P1) and the ORR's dual statutory roles as access-regime appellate body and statutory consultee on GBR's documents (engaging Article 6(1)) 2. The open-access operator written evidence (Lumo and Hull Trains RB28 3; ALLRAIL RB16/RB16A 45) and PQs from MPs aligned with the open-access market (e.g. PQ 129358 on state-aid principles in access applications 6) signal that the access regime is the live commercial issue. Post-Royal-Assent, two SIs matter most: the clause 1 designation SI that actually creates GBR as a body corporate (without which the new regime is inert) and the first commencement regulations. The Long-Term Rail Strategy under clause 15 and the rail-freight growth target under clause 17 are the first substantive Secretary-of-State outputs the Bill mandates; their content will set the operating frame for GBR's first business plan. The Welsh Senedd LCM has not yet appeared in the events list and is a procedural gap to close before Royal Assent given the Bill's Wales-and-Borders provisions. Workforce-protection issues — pensions 7, collective bargaining 8, conditions and travel facilities 910 — continue to drive PQ activity from MPs allied with rail trade unions and may yet attract Lords amendments.
The principal risks are concentrated in clause 71 and the access regime. The ECHR Memorandum acknowledges A1P1 engagement and relies on a 'core commercial value' preservation argument plus express compensation provision modelled on the Transport and Works Act 1992 1; whether this survives Lords-level scrutiny is uncertain, particularly given concentrated open-access evidence on the point 234. The Article 6(1) issue around the ORR's dual roles is mitigated in the Memorandum but remains a live design question.
Separately, the Government Response to the Transport Committee (4th Special Report of 24 April 2026 5) is in the events list but the substantive text is not visible in the bodies retrieved for this build, so the Committee's specific concerns and the Government's accommodations on freight and access have not been read directly. Inferred from corpus gap: the Welsh Senedd LCM equivalent of the Scottish LCM 6 is not in the events, which may simply reflect timing or may indicate a procedural step still to be taken — practitioners should confirm separately.
Workforce-pension implications during the staff-transfer cascade are flagged by Railpen's RB21 written evidence 7 and a sustained PQ campaign 89 but the Bill does not contain explicit pension-protection provisions on its face beyond the transfer-schemes framework in Sched
This briefing covers the Railways Bill 2024-26 as the unified Great British Railways / passenger-benefits package referenced in the King's Speech 2026 1. It does not cover the Passenger Railway Services (Public Ownership) Act 2024 in detail beyond its role as the immediate first-step partner statute 2, the Rail Passengers' Charter private member's bill 3 (a separate parallel vehicle), or freight-specific commercial issues outside the clause 17 freight growth target. The Planning and Infrastructure Act 2025 candidates surfaced by retrieval are out of scope — they cover the unrelated planning-NSIP framework and the lexical overlap is from shared 'infrastructure' vocabulary, not subject-matter overlap.
Bills and Acts this regime substantively depends on. Links go to the bill's own thread on this site (where available) and to bills.parliament.uk.
The Bill that is the subject of this thread — when enacted it will be cited as the Railways Act 2026 (already self-referenced in clause 6 of the Bill text).
First-step legislation that amended the franchising provisions in the Railways Act 1993 to enable public ownership; the Railways Bill is the structural follow-up.
Establishes the framework the Bill substantially displaces — sections 17-22C are disapplied for the GBR network; sections 23-31 (franchising) are repealed; section 4 duties are replaced by Chapter 2 of Part 1 of the new Bill.
Created the periodic review process and devolved Scottish rail functions; the Bill retains Scottish Ministers' s.5 strategy power and replaces the periodic review with the Schedule 2 funding cycle.
Continues to provide the byelaws-making power exercised in the Railway Byelaws Amendment Order 2025 (SI 2025/1258) alongside Bill passage.
The Bill replaces the post-1993 settlement on a single conceptual move: it consolidates 'track' (infrastructure management) and 'train' (most mainline passenger services) inside a single publicly-owned body corporate — Great British Railways — designated under clause 1. GBR inherits the Network Rail Infrastructure Limited corporate shell (preserving contract counterparty continuity), absorbs in-house TOCs via DfT Operator Ltd, and takes over industry-back-of-house functions from the Rail Delivery Group. The Bill's statutory functions in clause 3 read as the operationalisation of a 'directing mind' theory: GBR is the body that plans the network, runs most services, sets fares, sells tickets, and authors industry standards.
Layered over those functions is a duties-and-strategy architecture in Chapter 2 of Part 1. The Secretary of State must publish a Long-Term Rail Strategy and set a rail-freight growth target (clauses 15 and 17). Clause 18 then puts all the principal actors — Ministers, GBR and the ORR — under a common set of general duties: passenger interest including disabled passengers, freight promotion, performance, public interest, and value for public funds. The drafting deliberately mirrors a balancing duty (s.4 Railways Act 1993 style) but extends it across the now-integrated entity so incentives no longer diverge between infrastructure manager and train operator.
The access regime in Chapter 1 of Part 3 (clauses 59-68) is the most significant doctrinal break. The Railways Act 1993 (sections 17-22C) and the 2016 Regulations gave the ORR the power to approve or direct access agreements and to set standard terms on Network Rail's network. The Bill disapplies those provisions for the GBR network and substitutes a GBR-authored regime: GBR publishes the Access and Use Policy, the Infrastructure Capacity Plan, the working timetable, the charging scheme and the performance scheme. The ORR becomes the appeals body, applying High Court / Court of Session judicial-review principles (clause 68(1)) and retaining its appellate role under regulation 32 of the 2016 Regulations for non-GBR infrastructure and service facilities.
The regime sits on two displaced predecessor instruments which the Bill does not repeal wholesale but disapplies for the GBR network: sections 17-22C of the Railways Act 1993 and most of the 2016 Regulations. The Passenger Railway Services (Public Ownership) Act 2024 is the first-step partner statute that ended franchising; the Railways Bill is the structural follow-up. Clause 71's power to amend existing track access contracts retrospectively is the bridging mechanism — without it, freight and open-access operators on the GBR network would run on terms keyed to a regulatory architecture (ORR-led periodic review, ORR-set charges) that the Bill is dismantling.
Devolved architecture sits alongside in clauses 23-24 and the published MoUs: Scottish Ministers retain their role as funder and specifier of Scottish passenger services; Welsh Ministers retain Transport for Wales and the Core Valley Lines; both can delegate to GBR, contract with GBR companies, or operate jointly-owned subsidiaries. Mayoral combined authorities get statutory consultee status (clauses 5 and 81). Train-driver licensing (clause 91) and the Cape Town/Luxembourg Protocol provisions (clause 92) are discrete add-ons orthogonal to the structural reform.
A body corporate designated by the Secretary of State under clause 1, not enjoying Crown status, with statutory functions to manage railway infrastructure, provide passenger services, set fares, sell tickets, and supply industry services across Great Britain.
The list of functions in clause 3(1) plus those conferred by regulations under clause 3(3), the charging power in clause 13, and any other Act-conferred functions, but excluding functions under the 2016 Regulations relating to service facilities.
Railway infrastructure managed by GBR — distinct from non-GBR infrastructure (e.g. Core Valley Lines, HS1, certain freight depots) for which the Railways Act 1993 access regime and the 2016 Regulations are retained.
The principal published document under clause 59 setting out GBR's processes, policies and criteria for access decisions on its network, on which GBR must consult and which must be consistent with legislative requirements, strategies, directions and guidance.
Duty under clause 63 on GBR to retain sufficient capacity on its infrastructure for particular passenger services it is required to provide and for maintenance/improvement works.
The strengthened body built out of Transport Focus under Part 2 Chapter 2, retaining the legal name 'Passengers' Council' while operating under a new name, with functions including standards-setting (approved by ORR and Secretary of State), complaints, ADR, investigations and improvement plans.
The Schedule 2 funding architecture replacing Schedule 4A Railways Act 1993 — five-year cycle of Secretary of State objectives, ORR advice on alignment, GBR business plan, and Secretary of State approval.
Commons Report stage and Third Reading following the daily amendment papers run from late February to late April 2026.
Lords stages — expect concentrated scrutiny of clause 71 (retrospective amendment of access contracts) on A1P1 grounds and of the ORR's dual roles in the access regime.
Royal Assent and renaming as the Railways Act 2026 (the Bill text already refers to itself as such in clause 6).
First commencement regulations and the SI under clause 1 designating a body corporate as Great British Railways.
Publication of the Long-Term Rail Strategy under clause 15 and the rail freight growth target under clause 17.
Welsh Senedd Legislative Consent Motion (the Scottish LCM is already secured).
Next tranche of TOCs into public ownership (West Midlands Trains, Govia Thameslink Railway, Chiltern Railways and Great Western Railway, as announced 26 September 2025).
Owns the Bill and the policy frame; argues from the IA's market-failure analysis (coordination failure, principal-agent issues, externalities, productive inefficiency) that integration of track and train under a single publicly-owned body is the only way to deliver reliability, value for money and passenger experience.Nov 2025Nov 2025Nov 2025
Tension with Office of Rail and Road, RMT (National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers), Rail Freight Group, ALLRAIL (Alliance of Passenger Rail New Entrants), Lumo and Hull Trains, Andy Burnham (Mayor of Greater Manchester)
As Secretary of State, has staked political authority on Royal Assent and rapid stand-up of GBR; signed the s.19(1)(a) HRA statement, the HS2 reset statement (HCWS1433, 23 March 2026) and the policy-package introduction.Nov 2025Mar 2026
As Minister of State for Transport and former Chair of Network Rail, public statements emphasise rail-infrastructure delivery, accessibility and integrated transport strategy — the operational delivery side of the GBR agenda.Mar 2026Jan 2026Nov 2024
Leads the line for the Government in Public Bill Committee across all 14 sittings; defends the Bill's architecture clause-by-clause on staff transfer, access regime, fares and accessibility provisions.Feb 2026Feb 2026Feb 2026
Tension with Edward Argar
Lead Conservative spokesperson in Committee; presses the Government on the displacement of independent regulation, the open-access market and the breadth of delegated powers including clause 71.Feb 2026Feb 2026
Tension with Keir Mather
On accessibility, fares and rural connectivity: Liberal Democrat lead in PBC pressing for stronger accessibility duties, transparent fares architecture and protection for devolved/local services within GBR.Feb 2026Feb 2026
Published the 8th Report scrutinising the Bill — themes include rail freight protections, accessibility delivery and the design of the access regime; the Government responded via the 4th Special Report in April 2026.Feb 2026Apr 2026
On access and competition: submitted written evidence RB08 setting out its understanding of its appellate role; previously raised concerns through the consultation about how state-aid and competition principles will be applied when access decisions sit with GBR rather than an independent regulator.Jan 2026Apr 2026
Tension with Department for Transport
On the Passenger Watchdog: supports the consolidation of consumer functions into the strengthened Passengers' Council built out of Transport Focus, while seeking clarity on standards-setting and ADR scope.Jan 2026
On worker protection: written evidence RB07 and a sustained PQ campaign by allied MPs pressing for explicit Bill provisions on jobs, pay, pensions, conditions, travel facilities and collective bargaining during the transition into GBR.Jan 2026Mar 2026Mar 2026Mar 2026Mar 2026Mar 2026Mar 2026Mar 2026
Tension with Department for Transport
On train-driver licensing and workforce: written evidence RB23 — particular focus on clause 91 reforms to driver licensing and on protecting collective bargaining as drivers transfer into the GBR family.Jan 2026Feb 2026
On the freight target and capacity allocation: written evidence RB06 pressing for the clause 17 freight growth target and clause 63 capacity duty to be robust enough to protect freight paths against GBR's own passenger services.Jan 2026
Tension with Department for Transport
On open access: written evidence RB16 and RB16A — concerned that combining the network manager, the dominant operator and the de facto access-decision-maker in a single body will squeeze open-access operators despite the ORR appeal route.Jan 2026Jan 2026
Tension with Department for Transport
On clause 71: joint open-access evidence RB28 pressing the specific risk that the Secretary of State's power to amend their existing track access contracts retrospectively could erode the commercial basis on which long-term rolling-stock liabilities were taken on.Jan 2026
Tension with Department for Transport
On ticket retailing: written evidence RB17 — third-party retailer arguing for the proposed retail code of practice to enforce a level playing field as GBR consolidates the 14 operator ticketing websites into one.Jan 2026
On the retail market: written evidence RB13 — independent retailer perspective aligned with Trainline on the need for ORR-enforced fair-treatment obligations on GBR.Jan 2026
On mayoral powers: letter and supplementary evidence (RB18, RB18A) arguing the statutory consultation role for mayoral combined authorities under clauses 5 and 81 is insufficient — pressing for clearer 'right to request' devolution and influence on service levels, timetabling and rolling-stock deployment.Jan 2026Jan 2026Mar 2026
Tension with Department for Transport
On multi-modal integration: written evidence RB12 supporting the statutory role for combined authorities and pressing for explicit multi-modal duties in the long-term rail strategy.Jan 2026
Issued a Green opinion on the DfT Impact Assessment — confirming the IA's analytical robustness.Nov 2025Nov 2025
Consolidation vehicle: absorbed first wave of TOC staff from 1 April 2026 with new board appointments (Laura Shoaf, Tony Poulter) and CEO Alex Hynes — the operational stand-up partner for GBR during designation.Mar 2026Apr 2026
Conservative predecessor as Secretary of State who published the Draft Rail Reform Bill in February 2024 — established the policy direction that the current Bill operationalises in a more directly public-ownership-led form.Feb 2024Feb 2024Feb 2024
On Wales-and-Borders cross-border services: tabled PQ 129596 (29 April 2026) on cross-border rail connections under GBR including the Wrexham-Shropshire-Midlands Railway.Apr 2026
Engaged via correspondence on Chair appointment (January 2026) and via consequential provisions in adjacent Crime and Policing Act 2026 will-write letters — institutional interface with GBR yet to be fully specified.Feb 2026