Found: T he Committee took note of the Government’s response on the Railways Bill. 2 Restricted: For Committee

Found: Q269 Rebecca Smith: Going backwards a little, I was on the Railways Bill Committee and the buses Bill

Found: Through Better Connected: A Strategy for Integrated Transport, the Bus Services Act and the Railways Bill

Found: Strathclyde, Chair of the Constitution Committee, responding to the Committee's letter on the Railways Bill

Found: L egislative Scrutiny T he Committee considered the draft letter on the Railways Bill (CC/26-27/13) and

Found: L egislative Scrutiny T he Committee considered a note by the Legal Adviser on the Railways Bill (CC/

Found: Strathclyde, Chair of the Constitution Committee to Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill regarding the Railways Bill

Found: have done to support the many changes we are making to the transport system, particularly on the Railways Bill

Found: 4 June 2026 Dear Ruth, Setting up Great British Railways for success With the Railways Bill

Found: evidence given to this Committee on rail reform, we did not think that the provisions in the Railways Bill

Found: Session 2024–26 Number Title Reference 8th Railways Bill HC 1472 7th Rail investment pipelines: ending

Found: Letter from the Minister for Rail, Department for Transport relating to the Railways Bill and the GBR

Found: Firstly, we will be carrying over the Railways Bill.

Found: 14th October 2025), Public Office (Accountability) Bill (first reading 16th September 2025), Railways Bill

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking to improve the efficiency of freight transport and reduce bottlenecks at ports.

Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The multimodal UK freight and logistics sector delivers reliable, resilient and efficient movement of goods to support UK business and the consumer. The government recognised the importance of the sector in our Industrial Strategy (2025). We have recently committed £27 billion through the third Road Investment Strategy (2026-2031), including enhancements to the A66 between Penrith and Scotch Corner benefiting east-west freight across the Pennines, including from North and Irish Sea ports, and the Lower Thames Crossing which will improve journey reliability for freight arriving from the EU, including goods using the “land bridge” to Northern Ireland.

On rail the TransPennine Route Upgrade and East West Rail will bring significant freight efficiency benefits and the Railways Bill includes a duty on Great British Railways, ministers and the Office of Road and Rail to promote rail freight. The draft National Planning Policy Framework (published Dec 2025) requires local planning authorities to give “substantial weight” to the economic benefits of proposals for development where this would support improvements in freight and logistics. At a more granular level we are working with the Kent and Medway Resilience Forum to maintain efficient freight flows via the Short Straits through the development of plans to manage the introduction of new import controls and the implementation of EES at the Port of Dover and Eurotunnel.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of accessibility for disabled passengers on public transport.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Government recognises that more needs to be done to ensure public transport is accessible to all and allows disable people to travel safely, confidently and with dignity.

Our Bus Services Act 2025 includes a comprehensive package of measures to improve the accessibility and inclusivity of local transport. Through the Act, we are helping authorities to provide safer and more accessible bus stations and stops; mandating more streamlined disability training for bus drivers and frontline staff and requiring local authorities to regularly review the accessibility of their bus networks through the development and publishing of a Bus Network Accessibility Plan.

We are committed to improving the experience for disabled passengers on rail services and that is why we published the Department’s roadmap to an accessible railway alongside the Railways Bill. It sets out what we are doing now to improve the day-to-day travelling experience for disabled passengers in the lead up to Great British Railways being established.

The Railways Bill will also establish a Passenger Watchdog, protecting the rights of disabled passengers by setting consumer standards including on accessibility, monitoring passenger experience and service delivery, investigating persistent issues, and advocating for improvements. We are also continuing to install accessible routes at stations through our Access for All programme and have completed a programme to install platform edge safety tactiles on every platform in the country.

We are also committed to developing an Accessible Travel Charter. The Charter is a commitment to a shared vision for accessible travel. It will set out what disabled travellers can expect from their journeys, share best practice across organisations and create greater consistency in end-to-end journeys for disabled travellers.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 12 June 2026 to Question 4598 on Great British Railways, what estimate her Department has made of the annual financial savings arising from ending the fragmentation between Network Rail and train operating companies.

Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Railways Bill Impact Assessment assesses the potential costs and benefits of integrating track and train. This includes potential efficiencies from reducing fragmentation in the industry.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 12 June 2026 to Question 4598 on Great British Railways, if Great British Railways will publish guidance setting out the criteria against which applications for open access passenger rail services will be assessed.

Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

Yes. Clause 59 of the Railways Bill would require Great British Railways (GBR) to publish the criteria that it intends to apply when making decisions on applications to operate trains other than GBR passenger services, as part of its access and use policy. To ensure a smooth transition to the new access and charging framework under GBR, Network Rail System Operator (NRSO) is already leading a highly collaborative and transparent process to develop this important work. This includes publishing a Discussion Document last December that set out emerging thinking. A full draft of the access and use policy is due to be published by NRSO for consultation in the autumn.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to improve public transport accessibility for people with disabilities.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Government is committed to improving public transport services, so they are more inclusive and enable disabled people to travel safely, confidently and with dignity. As part of our broader mission to break down barriers to opportunity, we recognise that more needs to be done to ensure transport is accessible to all.

Our Bus Services Act 2025 includes a comprehensive package of measures to improve the accessibility and inclusivity of local transport. Through the Act, we are helping authorities to provide safer and more accessible bus stations and stops; mandating more streamlined disability training for bus drivers and frontline staff and requiring local authorities to regularly review the accessibility of their bus networks through the development and publishing of a Bus Network Accessibility Plan.

We are committed to improving the experience for disabled passengers on rail services and that is why we published the Department’s roadmap to an accessible railway alongside the Railways Bill. It sets out what we are doing now to improve the day-to-day travelling experience for disabled passengers in the lead up to Great British Railways being established. The Railways Bill will also establish a Passenger Watchdog, protecting the rights of disabled passengers by monitoring service delivery, investigating persistent issues, and advocating for improvements. We are also continuing to install accessible routes at stations through our Access for All programme and have completed a programme to install platform edge safety tactiles on every platform in the country.

We are also committed to developing an Accessible Travel Charter. The Charter is a commitment to a shared vision for accessible travel. It will set out what disabled travellers can expect from their journeys, share best practice across organisations and create consistency in end-to-end journeys for disabled travellers.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department plans to take to help improve the Greater Western region after it is absorbed into Great British Railways.

Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

This Government is committed to creating a unified and simplified railway that puts customers first, rebuilding trust and placing passenger operations under public ownership and control. Public ownership alone is not a silver bullet but a vital step towards wider reform to bring track and train together under Great British Railways (GBR).

The Railways Bill will establish GBR as a new ‘directing mind’ for the industry. It will bring track and train under one public body to improve services for passengers and freight customers. This will ultimately provide better value for taxpayers, by streamlining the rail sector and bringing together roles and responsibilities that are currently fragmented across multiple bodies and organisations.

Part of the planning for the transfer of train operating companies into public ownership, including Great Western Railway, is to identify cost effective actions to be taken to help deliver value for money, affordable improvements as we move towards GBR.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the total expected cost saving and revenue generation opportunities from the reorganisation of the railway industry into Great British Railways.

Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The creation of Great British Railways (GBR) will reduce fragmentation and improve whole-system decision making in the rail industry. Integration of track and train is expected to lead to significant cost efficiencies. A large share of these efficiencies are expected to derive from improved coordination in day-to-day decision making. Detailed design decisions will influence how these benefits are realised and in what form.

Rail reform is expected to improve passenger experience through improvements to rail performance due to the establishment of GBR and other provisions in the Railways Bill. This may facilitate greater demand and revenue in the long-term.

Further detail on the impacts of GBR can be found in the Railways Bill Impact Assessment.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what governance arrangements are proposed for Great British Railways under the Railways Bill.

Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Railways Bill is focused on simplifying governance. The Bill sets out the functions of Great British Railways (GBR): what we expect it to do and its general duties: what we expect it to consider and achieve. It also sets out that the Transport Secretary will set the Long-Term Rail Strategy for the industry, agree GBR’s business plan and funding, and intervene if GBR does not properly consider its duties.

GBR’s senior leaders and workforce will be held accountable for their performance first and foremost by its Board, with the Chair required to report on progress against the business plan to the Transport Secretary.

Should GBR fail to deliver on its agreed Business Plan, the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) will bring this to the Transport Secretary’s attention through its enhanced monitoring role which is enshrined in the Bill. The ORR also has a specific role in the Bill to advise on the contents of the Business Plan and whether it is reasonable, proportionate and cost effective.

If something goes astray with the business plan or with GBR’s adherence to its plan, the Transport Secretary will have a number of levers to hold GBR to account including raising this with GRB’s chair, providing GBR with written guidance that it must have regard to, and finally issuing a mandatory direction for GBR to change what it is doing.

As the main funder, the Transport Secretary should provide oversight of the business plan, likewise, Scottish Ministers will have oversight of their part of GBR’s integrated business plan for Scotland. In extremis, the funders can withdraw funding if there is a fundamental issue with how GBR is carrying out its activities or spending its money.

The Government has published documents which provides further information on the proposed accountability framework underpinned by the Railways Bill:

Railways Bill factsheet: holding Great British Railways to account - GOV.UK;

Great British Railways licence and the accountability framework - GOV.UK

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what role local and regional authorities will have in decision-making under the framework established by the Railways Bill.

Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Secretary of State wants to bring decision-making as close as possible to the communities those decisions impact. The Railways Bill underpins the move towards a more locally focused railway, creating the statutory basis for structured partnerships with Mayoral Strategic Authorities (MSAs). Through these statutory roles, MSAs will play a formal role in shaping decisions. They will be consulted by Great British Railways (GBR), can enter arrangements with GBR, and GBR will have regard to their Local Transport Plans.

While the Bill does not create a separate statutory mechanism for non-mayoral areas, GBR will be under a clear expectation to engage all local authorities on their rail priorities and Local Transport Plans, ensuring local perspectives inform decision-making.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of introducing a national target for the number of passengers switching from driving to public transport.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

Government is focused on making sustainable travel options the most attractive, convenient and affordable choice for everyday journeys. We're supporting drivers to benefit from the lower and more predictable running cost of an electric car through our £2 billion Electric Car Grant. The Government is also supporting sustainable travel through our Better Connected strategy, the Bus Services Act 2025 and the Railways Bill alongside investment in public transport, active travel and support for shared mobility. Making it easy and practical to choose greener transport options will help accelerate the shift to lower-emission travel.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether her Department has agreements, memoranda of understanding, or governance frameworks setting out the role of regional transport authorities in decisions relating to rail service levels, fleet allocation, or rolling stock transfers under public ownership; and whether her Department has plans to standardise arrangements across combined authorities as part of the establishment of Great British Railways.

Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

There are no generic agreements, memoranda of understanding, or governance frameworks covering the subject set out in the question, although individual rail devolution agreements that existed prior to public ownership (such as with West Midlands Rail Executive) have continued for the time being.

Great British Railways (GBR) will agree partnerships with Mayoral Strategic Authorities (MSAs) to enable closer joint working on rail and wider transport priorities, giving Mayors genuine influence over outcomes while maintaining national integration.

The GBR Mayoral Partnership Framework, included in the Railways Bill consultation in February 2025, offers a range of options for MSAs to exercise their statutory roles, in partnership with GBR. This includes new statutory roles proposed by the Railways Bill.

The detail of specific partnerships will vary and will ultimately be for GBR to agree with respective MSAs. This will ensure that they can meet the differing ambitions of mayors for the local rail network in their areas.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what measures she is taking to ensure passenger voice as part of Great British Railways.

Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

GBR will have a relentless focus on delivering for passengers. It will be set up to put decision making for track and train closer to the communities and customers it serves.

In addition, The Railways Bill will establish a powerful voice for passengers, the Passenger Watchdog, to independently monitor passenger experience, advocate for passengers and to hold GBR and other operators to account. The Watchdog will be in a unique position to understand passenger experience through its research, investigations and access to complaints and core industry performance data. It will use this to advocate for passengers, set tough consumer standards for the railway and advise the government and GBR; ensuring passengers’ needs and interests are represented when key decisions about rail services are made.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking to ensure the maintenance of capital investment in rail infrastructure during the transition period to Great British Railways; and what assessment she has made of the risk of operational stasis from the transfer of budgetary and delivery responsibilities between Network Rail, operators and Great British Railways.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

This government remains committed to the existing settlement for the day-to-day running of the railway during the current funding period (2024 to 2029), including capital spend, and including through the transition from Network Rail to Great British Railways. There is also an average of £2 billion capital spend per year committed through the Rail Network Enhancement Pipeline during the current settlement period.

The integration of track and train is expected to bring significant benefit to passengers and taxpayers. Work to identify and leverage integration benefits, as well as to mitigate any potential risks associated with creating the new organisation and transferring responsibilities from other rail bodies, is already underway. The Railways Bill (2025) contains the appropriate provisions to facilitate a smooth transfer of responsibility from Network Rail.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what comparative assessment has been made of the potential impact of consolidation of operations under Great British Railways compared with the previous franchising model on (a) operational competition and (b) innovation.

Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

This Government was elected on a clear manifesto commitment to return franchised passenger services to public ownership. Public ownership, as delivered through the Passenger Railway Services (Public Ownership) Act 2024, is an important first step towards making the railway run better, with the whole system working to one set of clear objectives.

The Railways Bill delivers the next phase of rail reform, establishing Great British Railways (GBR) to run both track and train, thus ending the fragmentation that currently exists between Network Rail and train operating companies which is inefficient and drives down performance.

GBR will support a competitive private sector. Open access will continue to play an important role on the network where it genuinely adds value that benefits the public and aligns with the overall strategy for growth on our railways. Freight operations will remain in the private sector and will benefit from a statutory freight growth target. GBR will provide greater longer-term certainty for rail that gives investors' confidence, thus supporting innovation throughout the sector. Further detail can be found in the Impact Assessments for both pieces of legislation, including the analysis that neither public ownership nor GBR is expected to materially reduce competition in terms of operating passenger services, given competition was already limited under the franchising model.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 26 May 2026 to Question 2251 on Railways, what the intended date is for Great British Railways' day-one stand-up.

Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Great British Railways (GBR) design process is underway. We expect to stand up GBR within 12 months of the Railways Bill receiving Royal Assent.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment has been made of the potential impact of provisions in the Railways Bill on existing and future open access rail services; and what steps are being taken to ensure that such services are supported under the new framework.

Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Government has been clear that the open access sector will continue to play a role in delivering services where it represents best use of the network. The Railways Bill contains clear legislative safeguards to ensure non-GBR operators, including open access operators, have fair access to the GBR-managed network. In addition, the ORR will be a robust appeals body for GBR’s access decisions, ensuring fairness in GBR’s decision-making.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the Answer of 31 March 2026 to Question 123169, when she expects to issue a Long Term Rail Strategy.

Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Long-Term Rail Strategy (LTRS) will be published shortly following the Railways Bill receiving Royal Assent and in time for GBR's day-one stand-up.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the Answer of 22 Apr 2026 to Question 127105, what the outcomes of each of the Rail Engagement Group's meetings were; and whether her Department plans to take steps as a result.

Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

Three Rail Engagement Group (REG) meetings have so far been held, which included discussion on a number of matters, such as the creation of Great British Railways and the progress of the Railways Bill.

Found: Railways Bill: HL Bill 25 of 2026–27

Found: Railways Bill 2024-26: Progress of the bill

Transition of rail workers into Great British Railways

Found: Strathclyde, Chair of the Constitution Committee, responding to the Committee's letter on the Railways Bill

Found: Strathclyde, Chair of the Constitution Committee to Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill regarding the Railways Bill

Found: Railways Bill: HL Bill 25 of 2026–27

Found: Railways Bill 2024-26: Progress of the bill

Found: licence modification references under sections 13-15C) are both due to change as a result of the Railways Bill

Found: public transport and active travel, including through legislation such as the Bus Services Bill and Railways Bill

Found: transport and active travel, including through legislation such as the Bus Services Bill and Railways Bill

Found: The Railways Bill, which continues its journey in Parliament, will establish Great British Railways

Found: The Railways Bill, which continues its journey in Parliament, will establish Great British Railways

Found: The Railways Bill, which continues its journey in Parliament, will establish Great British Railways

Found: The Railways Bill, which continues its journey in Parliament, will establish Great British Railways

Found: • Committed to a pipeline of rail projects worth up to £14bn across Wales and through our Railways Bill

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Found: including on the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill, the Crime and Policing Bill and the Railways Bill

Found: £124.20 £111.98 N/A £236.18 Richard Goodman 2026-01-07 2026-01-07 Transport Select Committee Railways Bill

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Found: • The Railways Bill: The Railways Bill fulfils the Government’s manifesto pledge to bring Britain’

Found: Railways Bill

Found: Railways Bill

Found: Railways Bill

Found: Railways Bill

Found: Railways Bill

Found: including financial sustainability (reducing costs to Government), which is a requirement in the Railways Bill

Found: including financial sustainability (reducing costs to Government), which is a requirement in the Railways Bill

Found: including financial sustainability (reducing costs to Government), which is a requirement in the Railways Bill

Found: including financial sustainability (reducing costs to Government), which is a requirement in the Railways Bill

Found: including financial sustainability (reducing costs to Government), which is a requirement in the Railways Bill

Found: including financial sustainability (reducing costs to Government), which is a requirement in the Railways Bill

Found: binding directions to GBR, and non-binding guidance on an ongoing basis Great British Railways The Railways Bill

Found: binding directions to GBR, and non-binding guidance on an ongoing basis Great British Railways The Railways Bill

Found: Third reading of the Railways Bill

Found: The Railways Bill continues its passage through Parliament and will establish Great British Railways

Found: Based on the Railways Bill and information published by the Department for Transport (DfT), we expect

Found: Subject to the passage of the Railways Bill, this would be followed by a statutory consultation on specific

Found: Northern Ireland Troubles Bill • Pension Schemes Bill • Public Office (Accountability) Bill • Railways Bill

Found: The Railways Bill, which will establish GBR, received its second reading in the House of Commons in

Found: The Railways Bill, which will establish GBR, received its second reading in the House of Commons in

Found: The Railways Bill, which will establish GBR, received its second reading in the House of Commons in

Found: The introduction of the Railways Bill in Parliament in the autumn was a significant milestone.

Found: The introduction of the Railways Bill in Parliament in the autumn was a significant milestone.

Found: The introduction of the Railways Bill in Parliament in the autumn was a significant milestone.

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Found: REDThe Railways Bill will pave the way for the creation of Great British Railways (GBR), due to be set

Found: RED The Railways Bill will pave the way for the creation of Great British Railways (GBR), due to be

Found: including on the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill, the Crime and Policing Bill and the Railways Bill

Found: In 2026-27 we will be advising and working on: • the Railways Bill, establishing Great British Railways

Found: priorities, alongside work on the Renters’ Rights Act 2025, the Clean Power 2030 Action Plan and the Railways Bill

Found: priorities, alongside work on the Renters’ Rights Act 2025, the Clean Power 2030 Action Plan and the Railways Bill

Found: Third reading of the Railways Bill

Found: The Railways Bill continues its passage through Parliament and will establish Great British Railways

Found: quality, deliverability, innovation and 3 UK Infrastructure: A 10 Year Strategy - GOV.UK. 4 Railways Bill

Found: relating to the strategic road network (Schedule 6) as well as railways (detail due in Great British Railways Bill

Found: reduce inefficient peaks and troughs. 3 UK Infrastructure: A 10 Year Strategy - GOV.UK. 4 Railways Bill

Found: Letter dated 04/06/2026 from Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill to Chris Hinchliff MP regarding the Railways Bill

Found: /2026 from Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill to Chris Hinchliff MP regarding points raised about the Railways Bill

Found: structured framework for early engagement, joint oversight and transparent processes as reforms in the Railways Bill

Found: The Railways Bill 1.

Found: Justice and Constitution Committee The Welsh Government’s Legislative Consent Memoranda on the Railways Bill

Found: Railways Bill Thank you for sharing your views on the Railways Bill with the Committee.

Found: the Bus Services (Wales) Bill and of the Legislative Consent Memorandum for the UK Government Railways Bill

Found: 1 LEGISLATIVE CONSENT MEMORANDUM Railways Bill 1.

Found: SUPPLEMENTARY LEGISLATIVE CONSENT MEMORANDUM (MEMORANDUM NO 2) Railways Bill 1.

Found: SUPPLEMENTARY LEGISLATIVE CONSENT MEMORANDUM (MEMORANDUM NO 3) Railways Bill 1.

Found: Committee to consider and report on the Supplementary Legislative Consent Memorandum (No.2) on the Railways Bill

Found: Constitution Committee to consider and report on the Legislative Consent Memorandum on the Railways Bill

Found: Systems) Bill, the Public Office (Accountability) Bill, the Representation of the People Bill, [the Railways Bill

Found: several immediate issues, including considerations and consequences for Wales arising from the Railways Bill

Found: stations, improving connectivity and reducing pressure on the M4.engaging with the UK Government's Railways Bill

Found: Railways Bill We have agreed a specific clause in the Bill, which has led to the development of aMemorandum

Found: Its terms are outlined in Clause 24 of the Railways Bill introduced to the House of Commons on 5 November

Found: UK-wide plans and policies The UK Government Railways Bill, UKG 2025 sets out that a specific Great

Found: With the Bus Services (Wales) Act 2026 now passed by the Senedd, and a Railways Bill introduced at