15 Dec 2025
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Announcement
Department for Transport
linked
Railways Bill
Summary
What this is
The Railways Bill is a Government Bill introduced 5 November 2025 to establish Great British Railways (GBR) as a single arm's-length body unifying track and train, amending the Railways Act 1993 and reforming the duties and functions of the Office of Rail and Road. It implements the Government's 'A railway fit for Britain's future' response and replaces the franchising model with public ownership integrated under GBR.
Why it matters
The Bill is the most significant rail reform since the Railways Act 1993, transferring track-access decisions and charging from ORR to GBR, narrowing ORR to a monitoring/appeals/licence-enforcement role, and creating a new Passenger Watchdog grown from Transport Focus. It restructures the funding regime via a five-yearly Funding Period Review and reshapes access rights for ~40 non-GBR operators including freight and open-access services.
Current status
The Bill completed Public Bill Committee stage on 10 February 2026 (Bill 373 reprint) and is now at Report stage in the Commons, with amendment papers running through to 30 April 2026. The Scottish Parliament agreed a Legislative Consent Motion on 24 March 2026.
What changed recently
- 24 Apr 2026 — Transport Committee 4th Special Report: Government Response to the Committee's report on the Railways Bill published
- 25 Mar 2026 — DfT published MoU frameworks with Scottish Ministers and Welsh Ministers on applying the Railways Bill in Scotland and Wales
- 24 Mar 2026 — Scottish Parliament Legislative Consent Motion agreed and DfT published Railways Bill equalities impact assessment →
- 10 Feb 2026 — Public Bill Committee concluded; Bill 373 reprinted as amended in Committee; Transport Committee published 8th Report on the Bill →
- 9 Dec 2025 — Second Reading completed in the Commons →
Key documents
Framework
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Railways Bill (Bill 325 2024-26, as introduced)
The Bill as introduced on 5 November 2025, establishing Great British Railways and reforming the legal framework for railway regulation under the Railways Act 1993.
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Railways Bill (Bill 373 2024-26, as amended in Committee)
Reprint of the Bill following Public Bill Committee amendments, governing the version now at Report stage.
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A railway fit for Britain's future: government response
DfT's response to consultation setting out the policy architecture for GBR — the directing mind, the Passenger Watchdog, the Funding Period Review and the new access regime.
Operationalising
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Railways Bill Impact Assessment
DfT's impact assessment supporting the Bill, including the RPC-reviewed costs and benefits of unifying track and train.
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Delegated Powers Memorandum
DfT memorandum to the Delegated Powers and Regulatory Reform Committee setting out delegated powers in the Bill.
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Human Rights Memorandum
ECHR compatibility memorandum accompanying the Bill.
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Explanatory Notes (Bill 325 EN)
Explanatory Notes for the Bill as introduced.
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Railways Bill equalities impact assessment
DfT's equalities impact assessment of measures within the Bill, published 24 March 2026.
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Railways Bill factsheet: the Long-Term Rail Strategy
DfT factsheet on the LTRS provisions in the Bill.
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Railways Bill factsheet: the passenger watchdog
DfT factsheet on the new Passenger Watchdog grown out of Transport Focus.
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Railways Bill factsheet: holding GBR to account
DfT factsheet on accountability, monitoring and enforcement of GBR.
Implementation
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Framework for MoU between Secretary of State and Scottish Ministers
Framework for a memorandum of understanding on applying the Railways Bill in Scotland, including how GBR will deliver services there.
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MoU between Secretary of State and Welsh Ministers
MoU setting out roles and responsibilities of DfT and the Welsh Government on collaboration between GBR and Transport for Wales.
Scrutiny
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Written evidence by Office of Rail and Road (RB08)
ORR's submission summarising how the Bill reshapes its functions: new monitoring/appeals role, loss of track access direction, retention of safety and competition functions.
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Commons Library Briefing: Railways Bill 2024-26 (CBP-10386)
Library briefing on the structure and effect of the Bill ahead of Second Reading.
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Transport Committee 8th Report: Railways Bill
Select Committee report on the Bill before Report stage, including recommendations on the Long-Term Rail Strategy and asset stewardship.
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Transport Committee 4th Special Report: Railways Bill — Government Response
Government response to the Transport Committee's report on the Railways Bill.
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Legislative Consent Motion agreed by the Scottish Parliament
Holyrood's LCM on the Bill, agreed 24 March 2026.
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RPC opinion: Railways Bill impact assessment
Regulatory Policy Committee opinion on the DfT Impact Assessment for the Bill.
Other
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Draft Rail Reform Bill (February 2024)
Conservative government's draft Bill subjected to Transport Committee pre-legislative scrutiny, predecessor to the Labour Government's Railways Bill.
Consultations
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A railway fit for Britain's future
The Bill is the legislative output of this consultation.
Stakeholders
Sponsoring department 1
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Department for Transport
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Sponsoring minister 1
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Heidi Alexander
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Regulator / delivery programme 4
Witnesses & evidence-givers 12
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Rail Freight Group
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DP World
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Railway Industry Association
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ASLEF
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National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers (RMT)
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Arriva UK Trains
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Lumo and Hull Trains
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ALLRAIL (Alliance of Passenger Rail New Entrants)
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Trainline
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Independent Rail Retailers
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Online Travel UK
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Heathrow Southern Railway Ltd
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Political commitments
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commitment Ministerial statement
A railway fit for Britain's future — Government response
Why linked: DfT response setting out the public-ownership architecture and ORR's reformed role as 'critical friend' — the basis of the current Bill.
Open questions & gaps
Pending in the lifecycle
- Report stage in the Commons — amendment papers running through April 2026.
- Lords stages, Royal Assent and commencement timetable for GBR stand-up.
- Drafting and consultation on the GBR licence (issued by the Secretary of State) and the GBR retail code of practice.
- GBR Access and Use Policy (AUP) — Network Rail discussion document published; ORR developing appeals approach.
- Welsh Government Legislative Consent Motion (Scottish LCM already secured).
Beyond the corpus
- MISSING Final text of the GBR licence and retail code of practice —
- MISSING Statement of Objectives and Statement of Funds Available under the new Funding Period Review —
- MISSING Government response/amendments addressing accessibility legislation update referenced by the Transport Committee —
Confidence gaps
- Detail on how ORR's narrow judicial-review-style appeals jurisdiction will operate in practice for capacity allocation disputes.
- How the Long-Term Rail Strategy provisions will interact with devolved transport strategies in Scotland and Wales.
- Whether the Welsh LCM will be agreed on terms equivalent to the Scottish LCM.
Full timeline
210
20 Feb 2024
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Announcement
Department for Transport
linked
direct
Rail Update
Why linked: Matched expansion phrase: Rail Reform Bill
UIN: HCWS267 I am pleased to lay the government’s response to the consultation on legislation required to deliver rail reform today. I am also publishing the draft Rail Reform Bill today, ahead of pre-legislative scrutiny which will be carried out …
20 Feb 2024
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Announcement
Department for Transport
linked
direct
Ministers set out blueprint for future of the railways through draft Rail Reform Bill
Why linked: DfT news announcement on draft Rail Reform Bill blueprint (Feb 2024).
Draft bill sets out blueprint for bringing track and train together under a new Great British Railways, leveraging private sector innovation to benefit customers.
Loading new-since list…
Analyst briefing
Executive summary
The Railways Bill, introduced by Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander on 5 November 2025 1, is the legislative vehicle for Great British Railways (GBR) — a unified arm's-length body absorbing Network Rail and 14 contracted train operating companies. The Bill substantially amends the Railways Act 1993 and reforms the Office of Rail and Road's statutory duties and functions. Second Reading completed on 9 December 2025 2; the Public Bill Committee took 14 sittings through January–February 2026 with the Bill reprinted as Bill 373 on 10 February 2026 3; the Bill is now at Report stage with amendment paper activity continuing through April 2026 4. The Scottish Parliament agreed its Legislative Consent Motion on 24 March 2026 5. The DfT's 'A railway fit for Britain's future' government response sets the policy frame 6, and ORR's written evidence (RB08) maps the regulator's reshaped role across monitoring, licence enforcement, JR-style appeals and the new Funding Period Review 7.
Current state
The Bill is at Report stage in the Commons following completion of Public Bill Committee on 10 February 2026 12. The Committee reprint (Bill 373) is the operative text 2, with notices of amendments published almost daily through April 2026 34. The Transport Committee published its 8th Report on the Bill on 10 February 2026, followed by the Government's response in a 4th Special Report on 24 April 2026. The Bill establishes GBR as the directing mind for rail, transfers track-access charging and capacity allocation from ORR to GBR, replaces ORR's Railways Act 1993 s.4 duties with a new duty-set including a public-interest duty (cl 18–20) 5, and creates a Passenger Watchdog grown out of Transport Focus. The Railways (Access, Management, and Licensing of Railway Undertakings) Regulations 2016 are disapplied to GBR (cl 72(2)) but retained for non-GBR infrastructure managers, producing a deliberately asymmetric access regime 5. The Funding Period Review under Schedule 2 replaces the existing periodic review: the Secretary of State publishes objectives and a funding envelope; GBR builds an integrated business plan; ORR advises but no longer determines 5. The Scottish Parliament's Legislative Consent Motion was agreed on 24 March 2026 6 and DfT published framework MoUs with Scottish and Welsh Ministers and the equalities impact assessment in late March 2026.
Recent developments
April 2026 has been dominated by Report-stage amendment papers, with notices published on most working days and the most recent dated 30 April 2026 1. The Government published its response to the Transport Committee's 8th Report on 24 April 2026. In late March, three significant publications appeared in close succession: the Scottish LCM was agreed on 24 March 2026 2; DfT published the equalities impact assessment of the Bill on 24 March 2026; and on 25 March 2026 DfT published the framework MoU for applying the Bill in Scotland alongside the MoU with Welsh Ministers on collaboration between GBR and Transport for Wales. The Public Bill Committee took written evidence from 33+ organisations across January–February 2026, with the regulator's submission (ORR, RB08) 3 providing the most detailed roadmap for how the reformed regime will operate. The DfT Minister for Rail wrote to the Committee in January 2026 confirming policy positions on the Bill. A separate letter on the transfer of train operating companies into public ownership followed on 11 February 2026.
What to watch
Report stage completion and Lords introduction are the immediate parliamentary milestones, with amendment activity concentrated in late April 2026 1. Analysts should watch four substantive doctrinal flashpoints. First, the GBR licence: under Schedule 1 paragraph 3 (substituting Railways Act 1993 s.8) it is the Secretary of State, not ORR, who drafts and issues the licence — the consultation draft is awaited and will determine the practical scope of ORR's enforcement headroom over long-term asset stewardship and the retail code of practice 2. Second, the Access and Use Policy and the new ORR appeals jurisdiction under cl 68 — the appeals power is deliberately narrower than the current AMRs regulation 32 jurisdiction and the existing ORR directing role under the Railways Act 1993, confined to judicial-review grounds with substitution available only where there is one legally available answer (cl 68(4)(b)) 2. Open-access operators (Lumo/Hull Trains 3, ALLRAIL 45) and freight (Rail Freight Group 6, DP World 7) will be testing this in early disputes. Third, the Welsh Legislative Consent Motion remains outstanding (the Scottish LCM was secured on 24 March 2026 8) — the Welsh MoU frames expectations but is not a substitute for Senedd consent. Fourth, the first Statement of Objectives and Statement of Funds Available under the Funding Period Review will trigger the first FPR cycle 2; whether the FPR is used only for network operation/maintenance/renewals or extended to passenger services as the Bill permits is a live political-economy question.
Risks and uncertainties
ORR's evidence flags that several key implementing documents — the GBR licence text, the retail code of practice, the Statement of Objectives and the AUP — remain in development 1. The Transport Committee called on DfT to publish a comprehensive list of decisions, key documents and planned consultations before Report stage; the Government Response is in the corpus but its detail has not been extracted into individual event bodies. Inferred from corpus gap: the Welsh Legislative Consent Motion is not yet recorded in the events list while the Scottish LCM is 2 — a Welsh refusal or qualified consent would be a material political risk on Lords passage. The Bill's interaction with broader accessibility legislation reform is flagged by the Transport Committee but not resolved on the face of the Bill. The narrowed JR-style appeals jurisdiction under cl 68 may not deliver the de facto regulatory independence ORR is positioned to provide as 'critical friend' 1, particularly for capacity allocation disputes between GBR services and non-GBR freight or open access.
Doctrinal frame
The Railways Bill rebuilds the doctrinal architecture put in place by the Railways Act 1993 around a new directing mind — Great British Railways — that combines the functions of Network Rail and most of the franchised passenger operators. Where the 1993 Act distributed track ownership, train operation, regulation and franchising across separate actors, the Bill collapses track and train into a single statutory body whose functions are set out in the new cl 3(1) and whose licence is issued by the Secretary of State rather than the regulator.
The Office of Rail and Road's role is reconstituted, not abolished. Its s.4 duties are replaced by a reformed duty-set (cl 18–20) that adds a positive public-interest duty and an obligation to consider the cost of public funding, but strips the long-standing duty to promote competition from the regulator's appeals work on GBR's network. ORR retains health and safety, competition law concurrency with the CMA, consumer law, rail statistics, train driver licensing, oversight of non-GBR networks (HS1, Core Valley Lines, Elizabeth Line core) and the Channel Tunnel — and continues to issue licences to non-GBR operators.
Access and charging move materially. Under the current regime ORR approves access contracts and sets charges for Network Rail; under cl 13(1) and cl 59–67 GBR sets its own access charges and produces an Access and Use Policy, a charges scheme and a performance scheme. The Railways (Access, Management, and Licensing) Regulations 2016 (AMRs) are disapplied to GBR by cl 72(2) but continue to govern non-GBR infrastructure managers — creating, by design, a two-track access doctrine across the network.
ORR's residual leverage over GBR runs through three channels: enforcement of the GBR licence (issued by the SoS); statutory monitoring under the inserted s.69A; and a judicial-review-style appeals jurisdiction under cl 68 over GBR's access, charging and performance decisions. The appeals power is deliberately narrow — ORR may quash a decision, order reconsideration or substitute a decision only where there is a single legally available answer (cl 68(4)(b)). This is significantly weaker than the current ORR directing role under the Railways Act 1993 or its appeals function under regulation 32 AMRs.
Funding is restructured through the Funding Period Review (Sch 2). The Secretary of State issues a Statement of Objectives (replacing the HLOS) and a Statement of Funds Available; GBR produces an integrated business plan; ORR advises rather than determines. A new Passenger Watchdog, grown out of Transport Focus, takes on functions currently exercised by ORR on passenger information, accessible travel, complaints, delay compensation and the Rail Ombudsman, with binding standards delivered through GBR's and non-GBR operators' licences.
Statutory basis
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Railways Act 1993, s.4 (to be replaced)
Sets ORR's current statutory duties; replaced by reformed duties in the Bill including new public-interest duty and duties to take account of public funding.
Railways Bill — Written evidence submitted by Office of Rail and Road… -
Railways Bill cl 3(1) — GBR statutory functions
Confers on Great British Railways the functions of managing, operating, maintaining, renewing and improving the network; operating most passenger services; setting fares and selling tickets.
Railways Bill — Written evidence submitted by Office of Rail and Road… -
Railways Bill cl 13(1) — GBR sets access charges
Transfers charge-setting and train performance incentive schemes from ORR to GBR.
Railways Bill — Written evidence submitted by Office of Rail and Road… -
Railways Bill cl 18, 19, 20 — reformed ORR duties
Reformed ORR statutory duties: promote passenger interests including disabled passengers; promote rail freight; promote high standards of performance; act in the public interest; take cost of public funding into account.
Railways Bill — Written evidence submitted by Office of Rail and Road… -
Railways Bill Schedule 1 para 3 (substituting Railways Act 1993 s.8)
Provides for GBR's licence to be drafted, issued and amended by the Secretary of State, not ORR.
Railways Bill — Written evidence submitted by Office of Rail and Road… -
Railways Bill Schedule 1 para 5 (inserting Railways Act 1993 s.9A)
Inserts statutory basis for the GBR retail code of practice governing how GBR runs central retail systems and treats independent retailers.
Railways Bill — Written evidence submitted by Office of Rail and Road… -
Railways Bill cl 59–67 (access regime) and cl 68 (appeals)
Requires GBR to produce an Access and Use Policy, infrastructure capacity plan, working timetable, charges scheme and performance scheme; subjects them to a new ORR appeals process on judicial-review grounds.
Railways Bill — Written evidence submitted by Office of Rail and Road… -
Railways Bill cl 74(2) inserting Railways Act 1993 s.69A — ORR monitoring of GBR
Establishes ORR's new role monitoring GBR's statutory functions including passenger service performance, informed by SoS guidance.
Railways Bill — Written evidence submitted by Office of Rail and Road… -
Railways Bill Schedule 2 — Funding Period Review
Establishes a reformed five-yearly funding process replacing the periodic review; SoS publishes Statement of Objectives and Statement of Funds Available; GBR produces an integrated business plan; ORR advises funders.
Railways Bill — Written evidence submitted by Office of Rail and Road…
Cross-cutting regimes engaged
- Subsidy Control Act 2022 GBR will receive substantial public funding under the FPR alongside non-GBR operators competing for access; subsidy control rules potentially engaged on charges and retail-market arrangements.
- Procurement Act 2023 GBR will be a public buyer for rolling stock, infrastructure works and supply contracts; procurement regime governs its commercial conduct.
- Equality Act 2010 DfT's equalities impact assessment of the Bill flags accessibility duties; reformed ORR duties include a specific duty to promote disabled passenger interests.
- Competition Act 1998 / Enterprise Act 2002 ORR retains concurrent competition law powers with the CMA, and the GBR retail code is designed to protect non-GBR retailers from anti-competitive conduct by a vertically integrated GBR.
Key concepts
Great British Railways (GBR)
New arm's-length body unifying network management and most passenger train operation, established under cl 3 of the Bill, absorbing Network Rail and 14 contracted train operating companies.
Access and Use Policy (AUP)
Document GBR must produce under cl 59 setting out how it will decide applications to use its network.
Funding Period Review (FPR)
Reformed five-yearly funding process under Schedule 2 replacing the existing periodic review.
Passenger Watchdog
New body grown out of Transport Focus, taking on ORR's consumer-facing functions including passenger information, accessibility and complaints (cl 42, 43, 46, 47).
Long-Term Rail Strategy
Statutory long-term strategy provided for in the Bill, welcomed by the Transport Committee in its 8th Report.
Forward look calendar
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Commons Report stage and Third Reading of the Railways Bill — amendment paper activity is concentrated in April 2026 with the most recent paper dated 30 April 2026.
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Lords stages following Commons completion; potential ping-pong on accessibility and devolved-authority amendments.
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Welsh Parliament Legislative Consent Motion (Scottish LCM secured 24 March 2026).
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Publication of draft GBR licence by DfT and consultation on the retail code of practice.
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Network Rail/GBR publication of the Access and Use Policy following further engagement, with ORR developing appeals approach.
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Statement of Objectives and Statement of Funds Available triggering the first Funding Period Review cycle.
Stakeholder positions
Office of Rail and Road
Welcomes its repositioning as 'independent, expert advisor to the Secretary of State' and supports the reform package, while drawing attention to specific design choices: narrowed appeals jurisdiction (judicial review standard), loss of competition duty on appeals, and the need for a targeted licence including long-term asset stewardship and retail market obligations. Highlights operational transformation programme required to deliver new role.Jan 2026
Department for Transport
Promoter of the Bill; sets out in 'A railway fit for Britain's future' a unified GBR responsible for both infrastructure and most passenger operations, with ORR as expert advisor and a new Passenger Watchdog. Frames the Bill as delivering simpler, more accountable rail in the customer and taxpayer interest.Nov 2025Nov 2025
Tension with ALLRAIL (Alliance of Passenger Rail New Entrants), Trainline
Rail Freight Group
Engaged actively to ensure freight access on a GBR-controlled network is protected through the new statutory duty to promote rail freight and through the access appeals mechanism.Jan 2026
ALLRAIL (Alliance of Passenger Rail New Entrants)
Open-access operators concerned about a vertically integrated GBR setting its own access charges and capacity allocation, with appeals confined to judicial-review grounds.Jan 2026Jan 2026
Tension with Department for Transport
Trainline
Independent retailer focused on safeguards in the GBR retail code of practice to prevent GBR favouring its own retail platform over third-party competitors.Jan 2026
Tension with Department for Transport
Engaged, but no published position in the corpus
- Heidi Alexander —
- Public Bill Committee (Railways Bill) —
- Network Rail —
- Transport Focus —
- Regulatory Policy Committee —
- DP World —
- Railway Industry Association —
- ASLEF —
- National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers (RMT) —
- Arriva UK Trains —
- Lumo and Hull Trains —
- Independent Rail Retailers —
- Online Travel UK —
- Heathrow Southern Railway Ltd —
- Welsh Government —
- Scottish Government / Scottish Parliament —