Railways Bill 2024-26

NC60

To move the following Clause— "Safe bicycle storage at railway stations (1) Great British Railways and all passenger railway service operators have a duty to provide sufficient safe bicycle storage facilities at all stations that they operate.

260

Clause 15, page 8, line 23, at end insert—
“(2A) The rail strategy must include a strategy for level crossings (“the level crossings strategy”).
(2B) The level crossing strategy must set out an assessment of the impact of level crossings on the economy and community of the area in which the level crossing is situated, for the purpose of reducing disruption caused by level crossings.”

261

Clause 15, page 8, line 23, at end insert—
“(2A) The rail strategy must include an assessment the ability of passengers to change between—
(a) main line rail services and branch line rail services, and
(b) rail services and other modes of public transport.
(2B) An assessment under subsection (2A) must consider how to reduce delays and disruption to end-to-end journeys involving a change between rail services, or between rail services and other modes of public transport.”

262

Clause 17, page 9, line 24, at end insert—
“(1A) Any proposals by the Secretary of State and Great British Rail about how they intend to meet the target under section must include an assessment of the impact of those proposals on level crossings.”

258

Clause 86, page 51, line 22, at end insert—
“(3A) Regulations under this section must—
(a) make provision for the establishment of a publicly owned rolling stock ownership company (“Great British Trains”)
(b) make provision for Great British Trains to buy and own future passenger rolling stock as—
(i) current rolling stock contracts end, and
(ii) old rolling stock are taken out of commission.”

259

Clause 86, page 50, line 37, leave out Clause 86

218

Clause 16, page 9, line 20, after “and” insert “each single strategic authority, and”

This amendment would require GBR to have regard to the transport strategies of single strategic authorities when exercising its statutory functions.

219

Clause 17, page 9, line 30, leave out “have regard to” and insert “take into account in all relevant decisions and demonstrate that it has taken into account”

This amendment would require GBR to take into account the freight target when making all relevant decisions and to show how this has been taken into account.

220

Clause 17, page 9, line 34, at end insert —
“(5) The Secretary of State must take into account the rail freight target in all relevant decisions and demonstrate how the target has been taken into account.”

This amendment would require the Secretary of State to take into account the freight target when making all relevant decisions and to show how this has been taken into account.

234

Clause 18, page 10, line 12, leave out “They” and insert “The relevant person specified under subsection (1) must”

This amendment clarifies that the statutory duties apply to each person or body specified in section 18(1) and removes the potential for passing of responsibility between each other.

237

Clause 20, page 11, line 21, leave out paragraph (c)

This amendment removes the exemption for ORR’s functions under schedule 2 from its competition duty.

210

Clause 20, page 11, line 22, leave out paragraphs (d) and (e)

This amendment removes the exemption of the ORR’s duty to promote competition in regard to GBR’s access process.

238

Clause 20, page 11, line 23, leave out paragraph (e)

This amendment removes the exemption for ORR’s functions under section 55 to 58 of the Railways Act 1993 from its competition duty.

239

Clause 20, page 11, line 24, leave out paragraph (f)

This amendment removes the exemption for ORR’s functions exercisable under section 67(3) of the Railways Act 1993 from its competition duty.

240

Clause 20, page 11, line 25, leave out paragraph (g)

This amendment removes the exemption for ORR’s functions under section 69A of the Railways Act 1993 from its competition duty.

169

Clause 24, page 13, line 29, at end insert—
“(da) contain provision about the use to be made of the power to give directions under section 7,”

This amendment makes further provision concerning memoranda of understanding between the Secretary of State and the Welsh Ministers.

226

Clause 25, page 14, line 9, at end insert—
“(1A) When designating railway passenger services, the Secretary of State must—
(a) take account of—
(i) the Rail Freight Target under section 17, and
(ii) the Infrastructure Capacity Plan under section 60; and
(b) demonstrate that designations under this section cause no unreasonable detriment to rail freight capacity or growth.”

This amendment requires that passenger service decisions are made in the context of network capacity and freight increase priorities.

227

Clause 26, page 14, line 33, at end insert—
“(1A) When designating railway passenger services, the Scottish Ministers must—
(a) take account of—
(i) the Rail Freight Target under section 17, and
(ii) the Infrastructure Capacity Plan under section 60; and
(b) demonstrate that designations under this section cause no unreasonable detriment to rail freight capacity or growth.”

See explanatory statement for Amendment 226.

228

Clause 27, page 15, line 20, at end insert—
“(1A) When designating railway passenger services, Welsh ministers must—
(a) take account of—
(i) the Rail Freight Target under section 17, and
(ii) the Infrastructure Capacity Plan under section 60; and
(b) demonstrate that designations under this section cause no unreasonable detriment to rail freight capacity or growth.”

See explanatory statement for Amendment 226.

170

Clause 31, page 16, line 31, leave out from “contract” to “in”

This amendment and amendment 171 provide for the Welsh Ministers to have power to award a public service contract to any public sector company when exercising the Secretary of State’s function under clause 31(1).

171

Clause 31, page 16, line 32, at end insert—
“(a) to one or more of Great British Railways or a GBR company, or
(b) where the function of securing the provision of the service is being exercised by the Welsh Ministers under arrangements made under section 83 of the Government of Wales Act 2006 (agency arrangements), to one or more public sector companies.”

See the explanatory statement for amendment 170.

172

Clause 31, page 17, line 25, leave out subsection (7)

This amendment removes provision that is unnecessary.

208

Clause 36, page 20, line 2, at end insert—
“(2) The Passengers’ Council must make arrangements for rail passenger groups to be members of a board, committee or panel of the Council.”

This amendment, along with Amendment 209, guarantees representation for passenger groups on the Passengers’ Council.

209

Clause 37, page 20, line 4, leave out “so far as it appears expedient”

See explanatory statement for Amendment 208.

235

Clause 37, page 20, line 14, at end insert —
“(3) The Passengers’ Council must, at least once every twelve months, assess the levels of satisfaction of users of public passenger railway services and report their finding in a manner which enables Great British Railways to fulfil its functions under section 3.”

This amendment would require the Passengers Council to assess levels of public passenger railway services’ satisfaction and report these in a manner which enables GBR to fulfil its functions.

173

Clause 55, page 31, line 30, leave out “Passengers’ Council” and insert “Committee”

This amendment corrects a reference that was made to the incorrect body.

217

Clause 59, page 33, line 30, at end insert—
“(3A) Great British Railways’ policy about, and procedures for, access to and the use of GBR infrastructure for the operation of trains, must be best calculated—
(a) to promote improvements in railway service performance;
(b) otherwise to protect the interests of users of railway services;
(c) to promote the use of the railway network in Great Britain for the carriage of passengers and goods, and the development of that railway network, to the greatest extent that it considers economically practicable;
(d) to contribute to the development of an integrated system of transport of passengers and goods;
(e) to contribute to the achievement of sustainable development;
(f) to promote efficiency and economy on the part of persons providing railway services;
(g) to promote competition in the provision of railway services for the benefit of users of railway services;
(h) to promote measures designed to facilitate the making by passengers of journeys which involve use of the services of more than one passenger service operator;
(i) to impose on the operators of railway services the minimum restrictions which are consistent with the performance of its functions under this Part; or the Railways Act 2005 that are not safety functions;
(j) to enable persons providing railway services to plan the future of their businesses with a reasonable degree of assurance.
(3B) Without prejudice to the generality of subsection (3A) above, Great British Railways shall have a duty, in particular, to exercise the functions assigned or transferred to it under or by virtue of this Part, or the Railways Act 2005 that are not safety functions in the manner which it considers is best calculated to protect—
(a) the interests of users and potential users of services for the carriage of passengers by railway provided by a private sector operator otherwise than under a franchise agreement, in respect of—
(i) the prices charged for travel by means of those services, and
(ii) the quality of the service provided; and
(b) the interests of persons providing services for the carriage of passengers or goods by railway in their use of any railway facilities which are for the time being vested in a private sector operator, in respect of—
(i) the prices charged for such use; and
(ii) the quality of the service provided.
(3C) Great British Railways shall be under a duty in exercising the functions assigned or transferred to it under or by virtue of this Part or the Railways Act 2005 that are not safety functions —
(a) to take into account the need to protect all persons from dangers arising from the operation of railways; and
(b) to have regard to the effect on the environment of activities connected with the provision of railway services.”

This amendment places requirements on Great British Railways to use the access and use policy to promote high quality service and competition.

174

Clause 61, page 34, line 38, at end insert—
“(4A) Agreement under subsection (4) may be general or specific, and the ways in which it may be given include it being given—
(a) in accordance with the terms set out as mentioned in section 59(3);
(b) by means of, or in accordance with, provision contained in an agreement or other document to which Great British Railways and the operator are parties.”

This amendment ensures that changes to the working timetable can be agreed in advance and in general terms, and sets out various of the ways in which agreement can be given.

211

Clause 63, page 35, line 39, at end insert—
“(3) Where Great British Railways decides not to grant access to persons to a specific part of the network to reserve capacity, Great British Railways must—
(a) publish a statement (a “capacity reservation statement”) setting out the evidence relating to the decision;
(b) consult—
(i) the Office for Rail and Road, and
(ii) any other persons who have sought access to that part of the network.
(4) A capacity reservation statement must explain how the decision taken by Great British Railways under subsection (3) reflects the best use of GBR infrastructure for the operation of trains as set out in the infrastructure capacity plan.
(5) The ORR must review a capacity reservation statement.
(6) The ORR may direct Great British Railways to reconsider its assessment if it considers that the exclusion of other operators is not necessary for Great British Railways to retain sufficient capacity over GBR infrastructure.”

This amendment requires Great British Railways to publish a statement explaining any decision not to grant access to a specific part of the network on the basis of network capacity.

229

Clause 63, page 35, line 39, at end insert—
“(3) In exercising its capacity duty, Great British Railways must take account of the Infrastructure Capacity Plan and give due regard to achieving the Rail Freight Target set out in section 17.
(4) Great British Railways must identify and publish a list of strategic freight corridors on the railway network.
(5) In exercising its capacity allocation functions, Great British Railways must ensure that the availability of network capacity on a strategic freight corridor is not materially reduced unless—
(a) the Office of Rail and Road has approved the reduction, and
(b) suitable alternative provision has been made to enable the carriage of goods by rail to continue to be facilitated.
(6) Before revising the list of strategic freight corridors, Great British Railways must consult—
(a) freight operating companies;
(b) owners and operators of rail-connected terminals;
(c) such other persons as it considers appropriate.”

This amendment ensures that capacity allocation decisions reflect both planning priorities and freight-increase ambitions. This amendment requires GBR to publish and maintain a list of strategic freight corridors and ensures that any material reduction in capacity must be approved by the ORR.

242

Clause 64, page 36, line 6, leave out subsection (1)(b)

This amendment would remove the requirement for GBR to charge in relation to trains which are planned to use GBR infrastructure but do not operate, or do not operate in full.

230

Clause 64, page 36, line 7, at end insert “, except where the services cannot operate due to a failure of the GBR infrastructure or the need for GBR to take capacity for work on the network.”

This amendment would ensure that services are not caught within the charging scheme if they cannot operate due to GBR failures or actions.

223

Clause 65, page 37, line 15, after “Railways” insert “or any operator of a train on Great British Railways infrastructure”

This amendment clarifies that freight operators should not face penalties for service disruption caused by factors outside their control, such as infrastructure failures or planned engineering works by Great British Railways.

203

Clause 68, page 38, line 35, leave out subsections (6) and (7)

This amendment, along with Amendments 204 and 205, strengthens the role of the ORR, and reduces the role of the Secretary of State, in considering appeals against GBR access decisions.

204

Clause 68, page 39, line 10, leave out from “Chapter” to end of line 11

See explanatory statement for Amendment 203.

205

Clause 68, page 39, line 15, leave out paragraphs (b) to (d)

See explanatory statement for Amendment 203.

175

Clause 69, page 39, line 25, leave out “17(1)” and insert “17”

This amendment and amendment 176 restrict the power of the Office of Rail and Road to give directions to Great British Railways so that it will apply only to “facility to facility” access contracts.

176

Clause 69, page 39, line 26, leave out from “after” to end of line and insert “subsection (1) insert—
(1A) Where the facility owner is Great British Railways, the Office of Rail and Road may give directions under subsection (1) only for the purpose specified in subsection (2)(e).”

See the explanatory statement for amendment 175.

177

Clause 69, page 39, line 32, leave out “to which this section applies” and insert “of the description specified in subsection (2)(e) unless one of the conditions in paragraphs (a) to (c) of subsection (1) is satisfied; and any such contract is void unless one of those conditions is satisfied.”

This amendment replaces the general restriction on Great British Railways entering into access contracts with one that will apply only to “facility to facility” access contracts.

178

Clause 69, page 40, line 1, leave out subsection (4)(c)

This amendment removes the restriction on Great British Railways as a facility owner entering into installation access contracts.

179

Clause 69, page 40, line 4, at end insert—
“(4A) In section 21 (model clauses for access contracts), after subsection (5) insert—
“(6) The powers of the Office of Rail and Road under subsection (5) may not be exercised in relation to an access contract where the facility owner is Great British Railways unless the access contract is of the description specified in section 18(2)(e).””

This amendment provides for the ORR’s model clauses powers to be exercisable in relation to access contracts entered into by GBR only where the access contract is a “facility to facility” access contract.

180

Clause 69, page 40, line 6, leave out “if” and insert “where”

This amendment and amendment 181 provide for ORR approval to be required for amendment of “facility to facility” access contracts entered into by Great British Railways.

181

Clause 69, page 40, line 7, at end insert “unless the agreement is an access contract of the description specified in section 18(2)(e)”

See the explanatory statement for amendment 180.

182

Clause 69, page 40, leave out lines 10 to 12 and insert—
“(5A) Directions may not be given under this section in relation to an access agreement where the facility owner or installation owner is Great British Railways unless the agreement is an access contract of the description specified in section 18(2)(e).”

This amendment restricts the ORR’s power to give directions under section 22A of the Railways Act 1993 to the parties to an access agreement in line with the approach taken by the other amendments about access agreements.

183

Clause 69, page 40, line 12, at end insert—
“(7) In section 22C (amendment: supplementary), after subsection (1) insert—
“(1A) Directions may not be given under subsection (1) in relation to an access agreement where the facility owner or installation owner is Great British Railways unless the agreement is an access contract of the description specified in section 18(2)(e).””

This amendment restricts the ORR’s power to give directions under section 22C of the Railways Act 1993 to the parties to an access agreement Great British Railways in line with the approach taken by the other amendments about access agreements.

221

Clause 72, page 42, line 2, leave out from “consult” to end of line and insert “the Office of Rail and Road and affected facility owners”

This amendment would require the Secretary of State to consult the ORR and affected facility owners before making regulations under this section.

231

Clause 72, page 42, line 4, at end insert—
“(7) Infrastructure, facilities and services not managed by Great British Railways which are used exclusively for the carriage of goods by rail are excluded from the provisions of this section.”

This amendment clarifies that privately funded, freight-only facilities are excluded from regulation under this section.

222

Clause 74, page 43, line 5, at end insert —
“(d) whether, and the extent to which, Great British Railways is achieving its key performance indicators set out in section [Great British Railways: Key Performance Indicators].”

This amendment requires the Office of Rail and Road to consider Great British Railways’ performance against its KPIs, as set out in NC2. This amendment is consequential on NC2.

236

Clause 74, page 43, line 5, at end insert —
“(d) whether the procurement of services from private sector suppliers would allow for more efficient use of public funds.”

This amendment would require GBR and the ORR to assess whether procuring services from the private sector would better enable it to meet its value for money duty.

212

Clause 75, page 43, line 24, leave out subsection (3)

This amendment removes the restriction on the ORR to impose fines on GBR for licence breaches.

158

Clause 82, page 48, line 30, after “a” insert “London”

This amendment and amendments 159 and 160 provide for the duty to consult Transport for London to cover designated railway passenger services that operate to, from or within Greater London.

159

Clause 82, page 48, line 30, after “service” insert “(within the meaning of section 175 of the Greater London Authority Act 1999)”

See the explanatory statement for amendment 158.

160

Clause 82, page 48, line 30, leave out “which is provided in Greater London”

See the explanatory statement for amendment 158.

161

Clause 83, page 48, leave out line 11 and insert—
“(a) railways in the body’s area, or
(b) railway services—
(i) between places in the body’s area, or
(ii) between places in the body’s area and places outside that area.”

This amendment provides for advice to be given by local government bodies to GBR about railway services that operate to, from or within their areas.

184

Clause 84, page 49, line 30, after “function” insert “(within the meaning of the Railways Act 2026)”

This amendment defines GBR’s statutory functions in the new section 176A(3) of the Greater London Authority Act 1999.

162

Clause 84, page 49, line 31, leave out “railways or railway services in” and insert—
“(a) railways in Greater London, or
(b) railway services—
(i) between places in Greater London, or
(ii) between places in Greater London and places outside”

This amendment and amendment 163 provide for advice to be given by Transport for London to GBR about railway services that operate to, from or within Greater London.

163

Clause 84, page 49, line 31, at end insert—
“(4) Expressions used in this section and in Part 1 of the Railways Act 1993 have the same meaning in this section as in that Part.”

See the explanatory statement for amendment 162.

NC23

To move the following Clause—
“Charging for removal etc of road vehicles
(1) Costs incurred by the operator of a network or station in relation to removing or storing a road vehicle that has been parked or left—
(a) on land or other property comprised in the network or station, and
(b) in contravention of bye-laws having effect in relation to the land,
are recoverable by the operator from the person in charge of the road vehicle, where removal or storage is carried out in accordance with bye-laws having effect in relation to the land.
(2) In this section “road vehicle” means a motor vehicle, bicycle or other conveyance.”

This new clause provides that, where road vehicles are causing an obstruction on railway land, charges may be imposed for the removal etc of those vehicles.

NC24

To move the following Clause—
“Great British Railways Board
(1) The Secretary of State must appoint a Board to review decisions taken in respect of Great British Railways (“the Board”).
(2) The Secretary of State must appoint to the Board persons who are employees of, or otherwise represent—
(a) Great British Railways,
(b) open access passenger operators,
(c) freight operators,
(d) The Office for Rail and Road,
(e) The Passengers’ Council, and
(f) an organisation or campaign group representing passengers with accessibility requirements.
(3) The Board must comprise at least six members and no more than half of its membership may be employed by, or otherwise represent, Great British Railways.
(4) Great British Railways must determine the frequency of board meetings in any year.
(5) Any—
(a) decision by the Secretary of State concerning, or
(b) direction given by the Secretary of State to,
Great British Railways must be notified to the Board prior to the making of the decision or issuing of the direction, and such decision or direction may only be made if a majority of the Board approves of it being made.
(6) The Board must publish any decision or direction it considers, and whether it has approved any such decision or direction.
(7) Where the Board has not approved a decision taken by, or direction given by, the Secretary of State to Great British Railways—
(a) the Board must notify the Secretary of State that is has not approved the decision or direction, and its reasons for not doing so;
(b) the Secretary of State may proceed to make any such direction or decision provided that, in their opinion, it is necessary to do so.
(8) Where subsection (7)(b) applies, the Secretary of State must publish a statement setting out reasons for proceeding with the direction or decision.”

This new clause would require the creation of a GBR Board, constituted of relevant internal and external stakeholders and regulatory bodies, which the Secretary of State would have to consult on major decisions and changes.

NC25

To move the following Clause—
“Local infrastructure change reporting
(1) The Secretary of State must, at least once every five years, publish a report assessing long term-changes needed to local rail-related infrastructure.
(2) The Secretary of State must consult local authorities prior to the publication of any report under subsection (1) and ensure that any such report considers proposals made by local authorities.
(3) A copy of a report published under subsection (1) must be laid before Parliament and sent to—
(a) the Transport Committee of the House of Commons,
(b) the Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee of the House of Commons.
(4) Reference in this section to the Transport Committee and Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee of the House of Commons—
(a) if the name of either Committee changes, are references to that Committee by its new name, and
(b) if the functions of either Committee (or substantially corresponding functions) become functions of a different Committee of the House of Commons, are to be treated as references to the Committee by which the functions are exercisable.”

This new clause requires collaborative strategic planning between central government and local authorities.

NC26

To move the following Clause—
“Great British Railways: funding review
(1) Thirty months after the commencement of any five-year period covered by a funding settlement for Great British Railways, the Secretary of State must publish a review of Great British Railway’s funding.
(2) The review set out in subsection (1) must include figures for—
(a) funding allocated to;
(b) ticket revenue raised by;
(c) amount of government subsidy received by;
Great British Railways.
(3) A copy of the review must be sent to the Transport Committee of the House of Commons.
(4) References in this section to the Transport Committee of the House of Commons—
(a) if the name of that Committee changes, are references to that Committee by its new name, and
(b) if the functions of that Committee (or substantially corresponding functions) become functions of a different Committee of the House of Commons, are to be treated as references to the Committee by which the functions are exercisable.”

This new clause adds statutory transparency to rail funding cycles.

NC27

To move the following Clause—
“Great British Railways: national rolling stock strategy
(1) Within 12 months of the passing of this Act and every subsequent 12 months, Great British Railways must publish a national rolling stock strategy.
(2) Each strategy under subsection (1) must set out rolling stock requirements by operating region and route.
(3) Great British Railways must align each strategy to the infrastructure capacity plan in section 60, the rail strategy in section 15, and each funding period as set out in Schedule 2.
(4) Great British Railways must set out how the strategy is used to inform procurement, leasing and allocation decisions.”

This new clause would require GBR to publish a national rolling stock strategy each year, setting out the expected rolling stock requirements per operating region and route, aligned to current and future planned infrastructure, and aligned to the long-term rail strategy and 5-year funding periods.

NC28

To move the following Clause—
“Great British Railways: cyber security and technology strategy
(1) Great British Railways must publish a cyber security and technology strategy (“the strategy”).
(2) The strategy must set out how Great British Railways will—
(a) use emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence, to innovate in respect of its operations and services,
(b) develop resilience for rolling stock and critical systems in line with industry and international standards, and
(c) increase the use of technology to improve passenger experience and services including—
(i) WiFi access,
(ii) digital ticketing,
(iii) real time information systems, and
(iv) accessibility for passengers with sight or hearing loss.
(3) Great British Railways must publish an annual report describing progress that has been made against the strategy and any challenges that have arisen in delivering the strategy.”

This new clause would require GBR to publish a cyber security and technology strategy, as well as an annual report on progress.

NC29

To move the following Clause—
“Railway services: Sunday working arrangements
(1) Within one year of the passing of this Act, Great British Railways must publish a report on demand for railway services on Sundays.
(2) The report must set out—
(a) current figures for use of railway services on Sundays, and
(b) projected figures if services on Sundays were increased.
(3) The report must identify and set out actions that can be taken to increase demand for railway services on Sundays.
(4) When setting out actions under subsection (3), the report must how have due regard to five-year funding periods for Great British Railways.”

This new clause would require GBR to publish a report on current Sunday demand, suppressed Sunday demand, and identify actions to be taken to increase demand for railways services on Sundays in line with the 5 year funding periods.

NC30

To move the following Clause—
“Rail devolution: Wales
(1) Schedule 7A of the Government of Wales Act 2006 is amended as follows.
(2) In Section E2 (Rail Transport), omit paragraph 117.
(3) Within two years of this Act receiving Royal Assent, the Secretary of State must lay before both Houses of Parliament regulations providing for the transfer of functions relating to rail services in Wales to Welsh Ministers.
(4) The functions transferred under subsection (3) must include, but are not limited to, responsibility for—
(a) railway infrastructure in Wales;
(b) the specification, provision and regulation of railway passenger services in Wales;
(c) the development, publication and implementation of a Welsh Rail Strategy;
(d) the funding, planning, delivery and maintenance of rail enhancement and renewal projects in Wales; and
(e) the regulation of access, capacity, charging and performance arrangements for rail infrastructure in Wales.
(5) No regulations may be made by the Secretary of State under this section unless they have been laid in draft before, and approved by, both Houses of Parliament.
(6) On the same day that the regulations specified in subsection (3) are laid before Parliament,the Secretary of State must also publish a statement of rail funding detailing the additional funding to the Welsh Consolidated Fund that will be made by His Majesty's Government as a result of rail devolution.
(7) This section comes into force on the day this Act receives Royal Assent.”

NC31

To move the following Clause—
“Minimum service levels
(1) Within six months of the passing of this Act, the Secretary of State must by regulations, make provision for minimum service levels to operate on passenger railway services during periods of strike action.
(2) Regulations under subsection (1) may repeal or otherwise amend provisions in the Employment Rights Act 2025, insofar as is necessary for the purposes of this section.
(3) Regulations under subsection (1) must include provision for—
(a) minimum levels of service on principal passenger rail routes during periods of strike action, including required service frequency, core connectivity obligations and protections for first and last trains,
(b) a minimum percentage of scheduled services required to operate during periods of industrial action, and
(c) minimum staffing requirements to deliver service levels under paragraph (a), including train crew, station staffing and customer support.
(4) Regulations made under subsection (1) may not be made unless a draft of the instrument has been laid before and approved by a resolution of each House of Parliament.
(5) When minimum service levels are in operation under this section, Great British Railways must—
(a) set standards for the provision to users of the railway of real-time information, disruption alerts, and alternative route guidance when minimum service levels are in force,
(b) set standards for minimum continuity of accessibility services, including Passenger Assist, lift availability, and alternative accessible transport arrangements,
(c) ensure that freight path allocations are not unnecessarily disrupted, and
(d) require that all operators comply with the minimum service levels provided for by regulations under subsection (3), as a condition of holding access rights or capacity entitlements.
(6) Within six months of the passing of this Act, the Secretary of State must lay before Parliament a document setting out a framework for minimum service levels under this section.
(7) With one year beginning on the day on which regulations are made under subsection (1), and within each period of a year thereafter, Great British Railways must lay before Parliament a report on compliance with minimum service levels, including reasons for any failure by operators to secure the required thresholds, and what actions GBR and other operators are taking to improve performance.”

This new clause would require the Secretary of State to make regulations to impose minimum service levels on passenger rail services, and for GBR to enforce these.

NC32

To move the following Clause—
“Working Practices and Productivity Modernisation Framework
(1) Within 12 months of the passing of this Act, the Secretary of State must publish a Working Practices and Modernisation Framework (“the Framework”).
(2) The Framework must include measures to—
(a) enable all passenger routes to be planned and delivered as a seven-day service, within the pay and conditions for standard working hours;
(b) enable drivers to operate train doors without additional payments in locations where this is not yet standard practice;
(c) require Great British Railways to establish a train driving school with updated training methods, with the purposes of reducing route-knowledge training times and increasing driver availability;
(d) end practices including—
(i) short-notice holiday approvals;
(ii) dependency on overtime to compensate for sickness absence or annual leave;
(iii) the prohibition on driving more than one journey over the same rails;
(e) introduce multi-disciplinary and flexible maintenance teams in GBR;
(f) support the adaptation of drone-based and digital inspection of railway infrastructure;
(g) prohibit unnecessary delays in introducing new rolling stock arising from route-learning requirements or working practices that exceed what is reasonably required for the safe operation of the railway, ensuring new fleets can deploy when manufactured;
(h) permit driver managers to drive trains when required;
(i) require maintenance and operational teams based in a specified areas to assist teams in neighbouring areas;
(j) prevent the Secretary of State from awarding general pay rises to any area of the rail workforce where—
(i) workforce productivity has fallen, or
(ii) where actions required in the Framework have not been implemented.
(3) Great British Railways has a duty to secure compliance with the Framework.
(4) Where the duty on Great British Railways under subsection (3) applies in respect of services which are run by any person other than Great British Railways, Great British Railways must fulfil the duty via access agreements with the person running those services.
(5) Within 12 months of this Act coming into force and within every subsequent 12 months, Great British Railways must publish an annual report on the measures in the Framework.
(6) Any report produced under subsection (5) must include—
(a) a summary of measures taken to reform the rail workforce as a result of provisions of the Framework;
(b) data on—
(i) workforce productivity,
(ii) cost savings,
(iii) changes in overtime expenditure, and
(iv) reasons for any delays in implementation of the provisions of the Framework.
(7) The Secretary of State must lay before Parliament a copy of any report produced under subsection (5).
(8) The Secretary of State may issue directions to Great British Railways under section 7 of this Act where, in the opinion of the Secretary of State, it has not met its duty under subsection (3).”

This new clause makes provision for a Working Practices and Productivity Modernisation Framework.

NC33

To move the following Clause—
“Long-Term Rolling Stock Leasing Framework
(1) Within 12 months of the passing of this Act, the Secretary of State must publish a framework for the long-term leasing of rolling stock (“the Framework”).
(2) The Framework must apply to all rolling stock agreements for use on infrastructure managed by Great British Railways.
(3) The Framework must include measures to—
(a) provide that rolling stock leases entered into, renewed or extended by Great British Railways or passenger operators for use on infrastructure managed by Great British Railways, have a minimum lease term of 15 years for new or renewed rolling stock, unless the Secretary of State determines that a shorter term is justified by exceptional operational or market circumstances;
(b) require Great British Railways to assess whole-life asset cost, maintenance, refurbishment and residual value when procuring or approving leases;
(c) provide Great British Railways with the power to specify obligations in long-term leases that support accessibility, improved energy efficiency, and interoperability across the network;
(d) ensure that long-term certainty supports—
(i) manufacturers of, and
(ii) persons who maintain
rolling stock by enabling investment in skills, supply chains and technological innovation;
(e) require that lease terms are consistent with Great British Railways’ long-term network strategy, its five-year funding settlements and its access and capacity allocation duties;
(f) require Great British Railways to publish an annual statement setting out—
(i) projected rolling stock needs for the 15 years following the publication of the statement;
(ii) any lease terms agreed within the year prior to the annual statement;
(iii) an assessment of the alignment of lease arrangements with the Framework’s objectives;
(iv) a value-for-money assessment of any new or renewed leases.
(4) Before issuing or revising the Framework, the Secretary of State must consult—
(a) Great British Railways,
(b) the Passenger Council,
(c) the Office of Rail and Road, and
(d) any other persons the Secretary of State thinks appropriate.
(5) Within 12 months of the passing of this Act and every subsequent 12 months, Great British Railways must lay an annual report before Parliament setting out its compliance with the Framework and the reasons for any departures from the minimum lease requirement.”

This new clause would require the Secretary of State to publish a Long-Term Rolling Stock Leasing Framework, and for Great British Railways to comply with this framework.

NC34

To move the following Clause—
“Great British Railways: Certainty of Funding
(1) Within 12 months of the passing of this Act, the Secretary of State must publish a funding certainty framework for Great British Railways (“the Framework”).
(2) The purpose of the Framework is to establish and maintain terms for the funding of Great British Railways.
(3) The terms of the Framework must include provision that—
(a) The Secretary of State may not vary, reduce, or reopen the funding settlement for an active Control Period, unless either—
(i) a statutory provision made after this Act amends Great British Railway’s duties requiring funding revision, or
(ii) an emergency has been declared within the meaning of section 1 of the Civil Contingencies Act 2004;
(b) the Secretary of State must publish—
(i) the confirmed funding determination,
(ii) the assumptions underpinning it, and
(iii) any exceptional circumstances to justify any adjustments,
within an active Control Period;
(c) the Secretary of State must agree the funding for the next Control Period not less than two years before it is due to start;
(d) when determining the funding settlement for a Control Period, the Secretary of State must take into account—
(i) the Long-Term Rail Strategy,
(ii) Great British Railway’s duties, and
(iii) whole system planning considerations across infrastructure, passenger services and freight;
(e) The Secretary of State must work with Scottish Ministers to align as far as possible funding determinations so that Great British Railways receives a single, coherent, funding determination no less than two years before the relevant Control Period starts.
(4) The Secretary of State must lay before Parliament a report on—
(a) any funding determination for each Control Period;
(b) any exceptional revisions of the funding determination for a Control Period within that Control Period;
(c) whether the Office for Rail and Road, or any other relevant body, has met any relevant deadline to confirm funding for the next Control Period, and where it has failed to do so, the reasons for that failure.
(5) Nothing in this section amends or removes the ability of Office of Rail and Road to carry out Periodic Reviews for each Control Period.
(6) The Secretary of State must annually lay before Parliament a report on—
(a) the stability of Great British Railways’ funding;
(b) the effect of any instability on—
(i) the efficiency of,
(ii) delivery of services by, and
(iii) management of risks associated with projects run by, or associated with,
Great British Railways.
(7) For the purposes of this section, “Control Period” has the meaning given in any final decision taken by the Office for Rail and Road which concludes each periodic review of access charges as described in Schedule 4A of the Railways Act 1993.”

This new clause would require the Secretary of State to prepare a Funding Certainty Framework, with funding for each Control Period set two years before it is due to start, to enable Great British Railways to plan effectively.

NC35

To move the following Clause—
“Report on long-term pipeline for works
(1) Within 12 months beginning on the day on which this Act is passed, Great British Railways must publish a report containing a long-term pipeline of infrastructure and rolling stock work affecting any line or service operated by Great British Railways (“the works pipeline”).
(2) Great British Railways must publish further such reports within twelve months of the publication of the last such report under subsection (1).
(3) The Secretary of State must lay a report under this section before Parliament.
(4) Each report laid under this section must provide a works pipeline for the period of the following 15 years.
(5) Each works pipeline must include details of—
(a) infrastructure renewals;
(b) enhancements, including capacity schemes;
(c) digital signalling and technology programmes;
(d) major station works;
(e) rolling stock procurement;
(f) upgrade and refurbishment programmes.
(6) The works pipeline must specify the expected—
(a) timing,
(b) scope, and
(c) sequencing,
of renewal programmes, enhancements, and major technology transitions.
(7) The works pipeline must align with—
(a) The Rail Strategy’s objectives, and
(b) the funding provided for infrastructure and rolling stocks works during each Control Period.
(8) Each report laid under this section must include an assessment of—
(a) how the works pipeline will reduce inefficiencies in delivery of works, specifically in relation to—
(i) irregularity of gaps in funding, and
(ii) unstable or unreliable management of projects and programmes.
(b) how the works pipeline—
(i) has supported, and will support UK supply chain capacity;
(ii) has impacted protection of specialist skills within the rail industry; and
(iii) will support employment and apprenticeships.
(9) Each report must contain an assessment, during the year prior to its publication, of—
(a) progress in delivering any projects or programmes included in the works pipeline,
(b) any changes to projects or programmes included in the works pipeline, and reasons for those changes,
(c) the impact of the works pipeline on—
(i) industry investment,
(ii) inflation of costs in the rail sector, and
(iii) delivery capacity in the rail sector.
(10) Before publishing a report under this section, Great British Railways must consult—
(a) participants in the rail sector supply chain,
(b) rail industry bodies,
(c) the Scottish Ministers,
(d) the Welsh Ministers, and
(e) the Office of Rail and Road.
(11) Great British Railways has a duty to ensure that its integrated business plan and long-term procurement strategies pay due regard to the works pipelines included in the most recent report published under this section.
(12) On the day on which a report is laid before Parliament under this Section, a Minister of the Crown must make a statement to each House about how the works pipeline—
(a) aligns with the long-term rail strategy, and
(b) supports whole-network delivery priorities.”

This new clause would require Great British Railways to create a long-term pipeline of infrastructure works.

NC36

To move the following Clause—
“Rolling Stock Investment Framework
(1) Within 12 months of the passing of this Act, Great British Railways must publish a report containing a framework for rolling stock investment (“the Framework”).
(2) The Framework must include an assessment of needs for rolling stock for the period of 15 years following its publication, including—
(a) procurement of new rolling stock,
(b) refurbishment of rolling stock that is already in use,
(c) digital signalling and onboard technology upgrades,
(d) decarbonisation, and
(e) accessibility improvements.
(3) The Framework must set out the routes through which private investors may finance—
(a) new trains,
(b) refurbishments to existing stock,
(c) upgrades to low-carbon traction,
(d) modernisation of interiors of trains,
(e) predictive maintenance, and
(f) digital systems.
(4) The Framework must promote private-sector investment in energy-efficient rolling stock and accessibility improvements.
(5) For the purposes of subsection (4), the meaning of “energy-efficient rolling stock” includes hybrid, battery, or hydrogen technology.
(6) The Framework must set out how procurement undertaken by, or on behalf of, Great British Railways will—
(a) ensure competitive tendering,
(b) encourage innovation in design and maintenance,
(c) provide private investors with a stable commercial investment environment, and
(d) ensure a consistent pattern for the placement of orders.
(7) Great British Railways must align any plans for investment in the Framework with—
(a) its integrated business plan, and
(b) funding determinations for the relevant Control Period.
(8) Great British Railways must update the Framework at least once each year after it is first published, including in relation to—
(a) updating Great British Railways’ strategy for its fleet of rolling stock,
(b) opportunities for private capital investment in rolling stock,
(c) the reasons for any major changes to planned procurement,
(d) expected timelines and volumes for procurement, and
(e) how it will use private investment to—
(i) reduce whole-life cost of stock,
(ii) improve quality of stock, and
(iii) support jobs in the rail supply chain in the UK.”

This new clause would require GBR to publish a rolling stock investment framework.

NC37

To move the following Clause—
“Great British Railways Accountability
(1) Great British Railways must publish a business plan each year.
(2) The business plan set out in subsection (1) must include—
(a) a summary of activities that Great British Railways intends to undertake during the following year,
(b) how these activities will support the delivery of the Rail Strategy,
(c) the outcomes Great British Railways expects to achieve, and
(d) how these outcomes reflect the funding settlement for the relevant Control Period.
(3) Great British Railways must publish a delivery report each year (“the Report”).
(4) The Report must set out progress made against the outcomes in the Rail Strategy, including—
(a) passenger experience,
(b) freight growth,
(c) accessibility,
(d) passenger growth,
(e) integration with housing and local transport, and
(f) long-term infrastructure and service improvements.
(5) The Report must assess Great British Railways’ performance against its statutory duties as set out in this Act.
(6) The Report must include Great British Railways’ performance against its key performance indicators set by the Office of Rail and Road, including—
(a) areas of underperformance,
(b) risks to delivery,
(c) corrective actions taken, and
(d) financial performance related to its business plan.
(7) The Office of Rail and Road must assess Great British Railways’ performance against its business plan, key performance indicators set out in section [Great British Railways: Key Performance Indicators] and statutory duties, and publish an annual assessment of its performance.
(8) If the Office of Rail and Road makes any finding of material underperformance in the assessment set out in subsection (7), it must give notice to—
(a) the Secretary of State, and
(b) Great British Railways.
(9) The Secretary of State must publish a written response within 90 days of receiving a notice under subsection (7).
(10) Within 90 days of receiving a notice under subsection (8), Great British Railways must set out—
(a) how it will rectify any underperformance identified in an assessment under subsection (7), and
(b) and how it will measure progress against any areas of underperformance.
(11) The Secretary of State must lay before Parliament a copy of—
(a) each business plan under subsection (1),
(b) each delivery report under subsection (3), and
(c) each assessment made by the Office of Rail and Road under subsection (7).
(12) When the Secretary of State lays a copy of the delivery report in accordance with subsection (11)(b), a Minister of the Crown must make a statement to each House of Parliament about the contents of the report.
(13) For the purposes of this section, “Control Period” has the meaning given in any final decision taken by the Office for Rail and Road which concludes each periodic review of access charges as described in Schedule 4A of the Railways Act 1993.”

This new clause sets out a reporting and accountability framework for GBR.

NC38

To move the following Clause—
“Ministerial statements on functioning of Great British Railways
(1) Once every three months beginning on the day on which this Act is passed, the Secretary of State must make a written ministerial statement in each House of Parliament summarising progress towards Great British Railways becoming fully operational.
(2) Should any day on which the Secretary of State must make a written statement be on a day when either House of Parliament is not sitting, the Secretary of State must publish a statement in similar terms.”

This new clause requires the Secretary of State to report to Parliament quarterly on progress in establishing Great British Railways.

NC39

To move the following Clause—
“Great British Railways: financial duties
(1) Great British Railways has a duty to ensure that its operating expenditure does not exceed its operating income in each financial year (“the duty”).
(2) The duty does not apply to capital expenditure [aligned with national infrastructure investment and enhancement pipelines].
(3) Within 12 months of the passing of this Act, the Secretary of State must provide guidance to Great British Railways about its duty under subsection (1).
(4) This duty must include guidance about—
(a) operational income, including fare revenue, access and charging functions, commercial income, and non-fare revenue streams;
(b) operational expenditure, including staffing, operations, support, maintenance, rolling stock operation, management and renewals; and
(c) the exclusion of capital expenditure aligned with national infrastructure investment and enhancement pipelines.
(5) Great British Railways has a duty to ensure its business plan and operational decisions have as a priority its long-term fiscal sustainability within the objectives set out in the rail strategy.
(6) In meeting its duty under subsection (5) Great British Railways must seek to increase its revenue.
(7) For the purposes of subsection (6), “revenue” includes—
(a) fare revenue through passenger growth,
(b) commercial retail income,
(c) income from property, station and land commercialisation,
(d) freight access revenue, and
(e) market expansion.”

This new clause puts duties on Great British Railways to ensure its operating expenditure does not exceed its income, and to deliver long-term fiscal sustainability. It makes further provision relating to those duties.

NC40

To move the following Clause—
“Great British Railways: non-reliance on taxpayer funding
(1) Within its first operational Control Period, Great British Railways must set out a transition plan towards ending any reliance on taxpayer funding.
(2) The transition plan under subsection (1) must identify—
(a) any efficiency improvements Great British Railways can make, and
(b) any cost-reduction measures necessary for Great British Railways to operate in such way as does not rely on taxpayer funding.
(3) For the purposes of this section, “Control Period” has the meaning given in any final decision taken by the Office for Rail and Road which concludes each periodic review of access charges as described in Schedule 4A of the Railways Act 1993.”

This new clause requires Great British Railways to set out a plan towards ending any reliance on taxpayer funding.

NC41

To move the following Clause—
“Great British Railways: annual statement of financial performance
(1) Great British Railways must publish an annual statement of its financial performance, including—
(a) its operating income and expenditure,
(b) whether it achieved operating cost self-reliance,
(c) the reasons for any failure to achieve operating cost self-reliance,
(d) where it has failed to achieve operating cost self-reliance, any actions it will take in the next financial year to achieve it, and
(e) an assessment of its compliance with its duties under section [Great British Railways: financial duties].
(2) The Secretary of State must lay the annual statement before Parliament.
(3) The Office of Rail and Road must review Great British Railway’s performance as set out in the annual statement, and publish an assessment of whether Great British Railways is meeting its efficiency and revenue targets.
(4) Where the Office of Rail and Road concludes that Great British Railways has not met its duties under section [Great British Railways: financial duties], a Minister of the Crown must make a statement to each House of Parliament setting out—
(a) the reasons for Great British Railways’ failure to meet its duties, and
(b) any corrective action to be taken by—
(i) the Secretary of State, or
(ii) Great British Railways.”

This new clause requires Great British Railways to publish an annual statement on its financial performance, and for the Office of Rail and Road to assess that performance.

NC42

To move the following Clause—
“Passenger growth target
(1) The Secretary of State must set and publish a target to increase passeA42nger numbers in Great Britain.
(2) The Secretary of State—
(a) must keep the target under review, and
(b) may revise or replace it.
(3) If the Secretary of State revises or replaces the target, the Secretary of State must publish the revised or replacement target.
(4) Great British Railways must, when exercising its statutory functions, have regard to—
(a) the target set by the Secretary of State under this section, and
(b) any strategy or policy of the Scottish Ministers relating to the growth of passenger numbers in Scotland.”

This new clause requires the Secretary of State to set a passenger growth target.

NC43

To move the following Clause—
“Private sector growth target
(1) The Secretary of State must publish a target for increasing private sector involvement in railway services and infrastructure for each financial year.
(2) The target under section 1 must include, but is not limited to increasing the role of the private sector in—
(a) supply chains, and
(b) open access.
(3) The Secretary of State—
(a) must keep the target under review,
(b) may revise or replace the target, and
(c) must publish any revision or replacement to the target.
(4) Great British Railways must, when exercising its statutory functions, have regard to the target set by the Secretary of State under this section and any policy of the Scottish Ministers relating to the investment of the private sector in railway services and infrastructure in Scotland.”

This new clause requires the Secretary of State to set a private sector growth target.

NC44

To move the following Clause—
“Great British Railways: savings target
(1) The Secretary of State must publish a savings target for each financial year for Great British Railways.
(2) The Secretary of State—
(a) must keep the target under review,
(b) may revise or replace the target, and
(c) must publish any revision or replacement to the target.
(3) Great British Railways must, when exercising its statutory functions, have regard to the target set by the Secretary of State under this section.”

This new clause requires the Secretary of State to set a savings target for Great British Railways.

NC45

To move the following Clause—
“Passengers’ Council: enforcement powers
(1) Within 6 months beginning on the day on which this Act is passed, the Secretary of State must by regulations make provisions for the enforcement powers of the Passengers’ Council.
(2) Regulations under this section must make provision about—
(a) the making of orders by the Passengers’ Council relating to operator compliance with its purpose;
(b) procedural requirements relating to orders under paragraph (a);
(c) the validity and effect of orders under paragraph (a); and
(d) penalties associated with orders under paragraph (a).
(3) In making regulations under this section, the Secretary of State must have particular regard to sections 55 to 57A of the Railways Act 1993.
(4) Regulations under this section may amend provision made by or under—
(a) the Railways Act 1993;
(b) the Railways Act 2005.
(5) Regulations under this section are to be made by statutory instrument.
(6) Regulations under this section may not be made unless a draft of the statutory instrument has been laid before, and approved by a resolution of, each House of Parliament.”

This new clause would require the Secretary of State to provide the Passengers’ Council with enforcement powers broadly equivalent to those of the Office of Rail and Road under the Railways Act 1993.

NC46

To move the following Clause—
“Complaints statistics
(1) At least twice each year, Great British Railways must provide to the Office of Rail and Road the number of complaints closed by each passenger service designated by the Secretary of State.
(2) The Office of Rail and Road must publish the statistics received under subsection (1) at least twice each year.”

This new clause would ensure that the ORR would continue to publish data on complaints in the same manner as they currently do.

NC47

To move the following Clause—
“Rail freight target: Annual report on rail freight
(1) Within 12 months of the passing of this Act, and every 12 months thereafter, Great British Railways must prepare and publish an annual report setting out—
(a) the steps it has taken to have regard to the rail freight target set under section 17;
(b) its performance in facilitating the carriage of goods by rail;
(c) any measures taken to protect and improve access for freight services;
(d) progress on enhancing the capacity and reliability of strategic freight corridors.
(2) The Secretary of State must lay a copy of the report before Parliament and provide the report to the Office of Rail and Road.
(3) The Office of Rail and Road must publish an assessment of the report within six months of its publication.”

This new clause creates an annual reporting and oversight mechanism, requiring GBR to set out how freight access, performance and corridor capacity are being supported, and requiring the ORR to publish an independent assessment of the report.

NC48

To move the following Clause—
“Train guard patrols: requirements
(1) This section applies to passenger train services which operate with the supervision of a train manager or guard.
(2) The train manager or guard has a duty to patrol any train on which they are working at such intervals as are, in the opinion of the train manager or guard, reasonable for the purposes of supporting—
(a) passenger safety;
(b) the accessibility needs of any individual passenger;
(c) detection of incidents including—
(i) possible criminal behaviour;
(ii) possible anti-social behaviour;
(iii) obstruction of doors, or other obstruction to the safe and routine operation of the train,
provided that doing so is practicable for the guard or train manager in question.”

This new clause would require guards or train managers to routinely patrol trains provided it is practicable for them to do so.

186

Schedule 3, page 70, line 27, at end insert—
“7A In section 18, omit subsection (6A).”

This amendment removes provision about franchised and operator of last resort services, which will no longer be necessary.

187

Schedule 3, page 70, line 28, at end insert—
“8A In section 22(1), omit “or Schedule 4A to this Act”.
8B In section 22C(2), for “, subsection (1) above or Schedule 4A to this Act” substitute “or subsection (1) above”.”

This amendment removes provision referring to Schedule 4A to the Railways Act 1993, in consequence of the repeal of that Schedule by the Bill.

188

Schedule 3, page 72, line 28, at end insert—
“22A (1)Section 130 is amended as follows.
(2)In subsections (1ZA) and (1ZB), omit “under Welsh franchise agreements”.
(3)In subsection (1ZC)(a)(ii), omit “under a Welsh franchise agreement”.
(4)In subsection (1A), for paragraphs (a) and (b) substitute—
(a)a Scotland-only service; or
(b)any other railway passenger service provided or secured to any extent by the Scottish Ministers.”.”

This amendment makes changes to the penalty fare provisions of the Railways Act 1993 that reflect the way passenger services will be provided under Part 2 of the Bill.

189

Schedule 3, page 72, line 34, at end insert—
“23A Omit section 136.”

This amendment repeals section 136 of the Railways Act 1993, which is no longer necessary.

190

Schedule 3, page 73, line 12, at end insert—
“24A (1)Section 149 is amended as follows.
(2)In subsection (1)—
(a)after “this Act” insert “or the Railways Act 2026”,
(b)after paragraph (a) insert—
(aa)by sending it to the person by agreed electronic means (for example, by email to an agreed address); or”, and
(c)in paragraphs (b) and (c), after “paragraph (a)” insert “or (aa)”.
(3)After that subsection insert—
(1A)Subsection (1)(aa) does not apply in relation to a document required or authorised by virtue of sections 118 to 120 or 149A to be given or served by the Secretary of State to or on any person.”
(4)After subsection (3) insert—
(3A)A notice sent to a person by electronic means is, unless the contrary is proved, to be treated as having been given on the working day immediately following the day on which it was sent.”
(5)At the end of subsection (5) insert—
““working day” means any day other than—
(a)a Saturday or a Sunday,
(b)Christmas Day or Good Friday; or
(c)a day which is a bank holiday under the Banking and Financial Dealings Act 1971 in any part of the United Kingdom.””

This amendment allows for the electronic service of documents under the Railways Act 1993 and the Bill.

191

Schedule 3, page 73, line 13, at end insert—
“26A (1)Schedule 6 is amended as follows.
(2)Omit paragraph 1(aa).
(3)In paragraphs 3, 7(2) and (4), 8, 9 and 10(5), for “appropriate national authority”, in each place it occurs, substitute “Secretary of State”.
26B In paragraph 1(1) of Schedule 11, in the definition of “eligible person”, in paragraph (a)(ii) for the words from “or a body” to “agreement” substitute “, Great British Railways or a subsidiary of Great British Railways”.”

This amendment makes consequential amendments of the provision about railway administration orders and provides for employees of Great British Railways and its subsidiaries to be eligible persons for the purposes of pension schemes.

192

Schedule 3, page 73, line 34, at end insert—
“27A (1)Section 163 is amended as follows.
(2)In subsection (4A)—
(a)for “Network Rail Limited”, in each place it occurs, substitute “Great British Railways”;
(b)for “Network Rail”, in both places it occurs, substitute “Great British Railways”.
(3)In subsection (8)—
(a)in the definition of “land used by Network Rail”, for “Network Rail”, in each place it occurs, substitute “Great British Railways”;
(b)omit the definition of “Network Rail”.”

This amendment amends provisions of the Greater London Authority Act 1999 to reflect the new role of GBR.

193

Schedule 3, page 73, line 36, leave out from “(1)(a)(ii)” to the end and insert “for “franchise agreements,” substitute “a public service contract awarded as mentioned in section 31(2) of the Railways Act 2026,”

This amendment provides for the duty to co-operate for the purpose of co-ordinating public transport for travel to and in Greater London to apply in relation to services provided under a public service contract awarded under clause 31(2).

194

Schedule 3, page 74, line 2, at end insert—
“29A Omit section 205.”

This amendment repeals a spent provision of the Greater London Authority Act 1999 relating to franchise agreements.

195

Schedule 3, page 74, line 8, at end insert—
“32A Omit sections 3 and 4.”

This amendment repeals provisions of the Railways Act 2005, which are no longer required due to the provision made by this Bill.

196

Schedule 3, page 74, line 11, at end insert—
“33A In section 6, omit subsections (5), (6) and (8).
33B (1)Section 8 is amended as follows.
(2)Omit subsections (1), (7) and (8).
(3)In subsection (2) omit—
(a)“also”; and
(b)“otherwise than under franchise agreements”.
(4)In subsection (5), omit “(1) or”.
(5)In the heading, omit “Franchising and”.
33C (1)Section 10 is amended as follows.
(2)Omit subsections (1), (3), (6), (10) and (11).
(3)In subsection (4) omit—
(a)“also”; and
(b)“otherwise than under franchise agreements”.
(4)In subsection (8), omit “(3) or”.
(5)In the heading, omit “Franchising and”.”

This amendment and amendments 197 and 198 amend provisions of the Railways Act 2005 to account for changes made by this Bill, in particular the ending of the franchise system.

197

Schedule 3, page 74, line 12, at end insert—
“34A Omit section 16.
34B Omit section 18.
34C Omit section 20.
34D (1)Section 22 is amended as follows.
(2)In subsection (1)(a), for the words from “in” to the end substitute “under section 31 of the Railways Act 2026;”.
(3)Omit subsection (10).
(4)In the heading, omit “non-franchised”.
34E (1)Section 23 is amended as follows.
(2)In subsection (1)(a), for the words from “in” to the end substitute “under section 31 of the Railways Act 2026;”.
(3)Omit subsection (8).
(4)In the heading, omit “non-franchised”.
34F (1)Section 24 is amended as follows.
(2)In subsection (2)(a), for “a franchised service”, substitute “a service provided under section 31 of the Railways Act 2026”.
(3)In subsection (7), omit “ franchise agreement or any other”.
(4)For subsection (9) substitute—
(9)The duty of the national authority under subsection (8) is discharged without its taking further steps so long as the provisions of any arrangements, in force at the time of the proposal, so far as they require the provision of the services, continue in force without modification.”
(5)In the heading, omit “franchised or”.
34G In section 32(12)—
(a) omit “franchise agreement or other”;
(b) in paragraph (a), omit “franchised service or”;
(c) in the words after paragraph (b), omit “agreement or”.
34H In section 34(2B), omit “under a Welsh franchise agreement”.
34I In section 35(6C), omit “under a Welsh franchise agreement”.
34J For section 36(7) substitute—
“(7) Where a service is designated as experimental or its designation is extended, the person designating must give notice of the designation or extension to the person who is to provide the service.”
34K (1)Section 37 is amended as follows.
(2)In subsection (1)(a), for “a franchise agreement under which” substitute “arrangements under which it is required that”.
(3)In subsection (2)(a), for “a franchise agreement” substitute “arrangements of the type mentioned in subsection (1)(a)”.
34L In section 38(2A), omit “under a Welsh franchise agreement”.
34M In section 39, omit subsections (1) to (3).
34N (1)Section 40 is amended as follows.
(2)For subsections (4) and (5) substitute—
(4)For the purposes of this section the appropriate national authority is—
(a)in a case where the railway passenger service that is interrupted or discontinued is a service which may be designated under section 25 of the Railways Act 2026, the Secretary of State;
(b)in a case where the railway passenger service that is interrupted or discontinued is a service which may be designated under section 26 of that Act, the Scottish Ministers;
(c)in a case where the railway passenger service that is interrupted or discontinued is a service which may be designated under section 27 of that Act, the Welsh Ministers,
and where in any case there is more than one appropriate national authority they shall each have the powers conferred by this section.”
34P (1)Section 41 is amended as follows.
(2)In subsection (2), after “Passenger Transport Executive,” insert “a mayoral combined authority, a mayoral combined county authority,”.
(3)In subsection (4), in both places it occurs, after “Passenger Transport Executive”, insert “a mayoral combined authority or a mayoral combined county authority,”.
34Q In section 42(1B), omit “under a Welsh franchise agreement”.
34R (1)Section 45 is amended as follows.
(2)In subsection (1)—
(a)at the appropriate place, insert—
““mayoral combined authority” and “mayoral combined county authority” have the same meanings as in the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Act 2026;”
(b)in the definition of “railway funding authority”, after paragraph (d) insert—
(da)a mayoral combined authority;
(db)a mayoral combined county authority;”;
(c)in the definition of “secured service” omit paragraph (a).
(3)In subsection (5A) omit “under a Welsh franchise agreement”.
(4)In subsection (8), at the end insert “or in an Act or a Measure of Senedd Cymru”.”

See the explanatory statement for amendment 196.

198

Schedule 3, page 74, line 13, at end insert—
“35A For section 48(4) substitute—
“(4) In this section “relevant Scottish service” means—
(a) a Scotland-only service;
(b) a railway passenger service that is provided to any extent under section 31(3) of the Railways Act 2026; or
(c) a station service provided in relation to a station in Scotland at which services falling within paragraph (a) or (b) make a scheduled call.”
35B For section 48A(4) substitute—
“(4) In this section “relevant Welsh service” means—
(a) a railway passenger service that is provided to any extent under section 31(4) of the Railways Act 2026; or
(b) a station service provided in relation to a station at which only services falling within paragraph (a) make a scheduled call.””

See the explanatory statement for amendment 196.

199

Schedule 3, page 74, line 14, at end insert—
“36A Omit Schedule 4.
36B In paragraph 3(2) of Schedule 7, after paragraph (e) insert—
“(ea) if the proposal affects its area, a mayoral combined authority;
(eb) if the proposal affects its area, a mayoral combined county authority;””

This amendment amends the Railways Act 2005 to make consequential provision related to the functioning of GBR.

200

Clause 90, page 53, line 12, at end insert—
““Passenger Transport Executive for an integrated transport area” means a body which is the Passenger Transport Executive for an integrated transport area for the purposes of Part 2 of the Transport Act 1968;”

This amendment defines Passenger transport executive for an integrated transport area for the purposes of the Bill.

201

Clause 91, page 53, line 32, at end insert—
“(A1) This Act extends to England and Wales and Scotland only, subject to subsections (A2) to (1).
(A2) Section 86 and this Part extend also to Northern Ireland.
(A3) His Majesty may by Order in Council provide for any of the provisions of section 86 and this Part, or any regulations under that section (whether made before or after the making of the Order in Council), to extend with or without modifications to the Isle of Man.
(A4) The power under subsection (A3), so far as relating to regulations, includes power to provide for the regulations as amended from time to time to extend as mentioned in that subsection.”

This amendment allows clause 86 and regulations under it to be extended to the Isle of Man by Order in Council.

202

Clause 91, page 53, line 35, leave out subsection (2)

This amendment is consequential on amendment 201.

248

Clause 3, page 2, line 39, at end insert—
“(4A) Great British Railways must, when exercising its statutory functions, achieve targets for—
(a) growth in in passenger traffic on railways, and
(b) growth in the overall share of passenger journeys taken by rail for the purposes of—
(i) work,
(ii) leisure, and
(iii) accessing goods and services,
relative to other modes of transport.
(4B) Targets under subsection (4A) must—
(a) be set by Great British Railways, with the agreement of the Secretary of State, and
(b) take into account, and be published alongside, each Rail Strategy under section 16 of this Act.”

This amendment would require Great British Railways, when exercising its statutory functions, to meet a target for overall growth in the number and relative proportion of passengers using railways.

250

Clause 18, page 9, line 34, at end insert—
“(5) Any target set under this section must provide that the proportion of goods carried by rail relative to any other form of transport increases at a rate higher than the rate of projected economic growth for the same period as is covered by that target.
(6) For the purposes of this section, the “rate of projected economic growth” has such meaning as the Secretary of State may specify.”

This amendment would require that any freight growth target is set in such a way as to exceed the rate of overall economic growth, with a view to increasing the proportion of freight carriage on rail relative to other forms of transport.

249

Clause 18, page 10, line 23, at end insert—
“(g) so as to achieve an increase in—
(i) the number of passenger journeys undertaken by railway, and
(ii) the proportion of passenger journeys undertaken by rail relative to other modes of transport.”

See explanatory statement for Amendment 248.

251

Clause 18, page 10, line 23, at end insert—
“(g) in the matter best calculated to reduce road traffic, congestion, and road vehicle use in areas with major road infrastructure and limited access to rail,
(h) in the matter best calculated to improve connectivity between rail and other forms of transport for the purposes of improving access to—
(i) goods and services;
(ii) jobs and economic opportunity.”

NC49

To move the following Clause—
“Report on integration of rail and ferry travel
(1) Within twelve months beginning on the day on which this Act is passed, the Secretary of State must lay before Parliament a report on the potential benefits of providing further integration of rail and ferry tickets.
(2) A report under this section must consider—
(a) the coordination of domestic and international ferry services with domestic rail services, and
(b) the potential economic benefits resulting from such integration, including as a result of any effect on tourism in the UK.”

This new clause would require the Secretary of State to lay a report on the possible expansion of, and benefits of, “rail-sail” ticketing.

NC50

To move the following Clause—
“Report on combined rail and event ticketing
(1) Within twelve months beginning on the day on which this Act is passed, the Secretary of State must lay before Parliament a report on the potential benefits of combining rail travel tickets with event tickets for sporting events, cultural events and leisure attractions (“combined tickets”).
(2) A report under this section must consider—
(a) a review of international comparators, and an assessment of best practice;
(b) any past practice in the UK, including the 2012 London Olympic Games and Paralympic Games;
(c) any potential for combined tickets to reduce volume of road traffic;
(d) the role of local authorities in co-ordinating or funding combined tickets;
(e) technology requirements for combined tickets;
(f) the potential cost of providing combined tickets.”

This new clause requires the Secretary of State to publish a report about the potential benefits of providing tickets which combine rail travel with sporting or cultural events.

NC51

To move the following Clause—
“Remembrance Sunday ticket fare exemption
(1) The Secretary of State must make regulations which require Great British Railways to provide a scheme enabling persons under subsection (2) to travel for free on railway passenger services to and from events that commemorate Remembrance Sunday.
(2) Regulations under this section must include a person who—
(a) is a member of the armed forces;
(b) has been a member of the armed forces; or
(c) is a widow, widower, or one direct family member of any member of the armed forces who has died in the course of their service.
(3) Regulations under this section must apply the provision of paragraph (2)(c) in such a way that one person is entitled to free travel for each member of the armed forces to which that paragraph applies.
(4) “armed forces” as set out in subsection (2) means any of His Majesty’s forces (within the meaning of the Armed Forces Act 2006).”

This new clause would require the Secretary of State to make a travel fee exemption for journeys to and from Remembrance Sunday events for armed forces personnel, armed forces veterans and one representative of a deceased armed forces member across all Great British Railways passenger services.

NC52

To move the following Clause—
“Train frequency duty
(1) The Secretary of State must undertake a public consultation on the frequency of Great British Rail services.
(2) The consultation under subsection (1) must consider the appropriate frequency of train services to ensure services meet local need.
(3) The Secretary of State must publish a report on the outcome of the consultation under subsection (1) within one year beginning on the day on which this Act is passed.
(4) The report under subsection (3) must—
(a) propose a frequency of rail services that will meet local need;
(b) include proposals for continuous engagement with local communities about the frequency of rail services for those communities.
(5) Before the end of the period of six months beginning on the day on which a report under subsection (3) is published, the Secretary of State must by regulations provide for a duty on Great British Railways to provide the frequency of train services as set out in that report (“the duty”).
(6) Within one year following the making of regulations under subsection (5), and once per year thereafter, the Secretary of State must publish a report on—
(a) the extent to which Great British Rail has met the duty under such regulations;
(b) where the duty is not being met, any proposed changes to Great British Rail services to better allow the duty to be met.
(7) Regulations under this section are subject to the affirmative resolution procedure.”

This new clause would require the Secretary of State to undertake a public consultation and the regular reporting and monitoring of train frequency to ensure timetabling reflects the needs of local communities.

NC53

To move the following Clause—
“Accessible ticket machines
(1) The Secretary of State must by regulations make provision about the accessibility of ticket machines in all stations used by Great British Railways passenger services.
(2) Regulations made under this section must provide that all stations used by Great British Railways passenger services have at least one ticket machine that meets necessary accessibility requirements for wheelchair users.
(3) Regulations made under this section must provide that all ticket machines—
(a) offer all ticket types available across all Great British Railways passenger services;
(b) have the same user interface;
(c) include accessibility options for passengers with sight or hearing loss; and
(d) include the same language options as ticket machines operated by Transport for London.
(4) Regulations under this section are subject to the affirmative resolution procedure.”

This new clause would require the Secretary of State to mandate the use of the same ticketing machine across all Great British Railways passenger service stations, introduce a minimum number of accessible ticket machines per station and offer the same ticketing options across the network for passengers and tourists.

257

Clause 1, page 1, line 8, at end insert—
“(2) A body corporate may be designated under this section only if—
(a) it is limited by shares, and
(b) it is wholly owned by the Crown.
(3) Regulations under subsection (1)—
(a) must specify the time from which the designation has effect, and
(b) must be published by the Secretary of State as soon as reasonably practicable.
(4) The designation of a body corporate terminates—
(a) if the body corporate ceases to be wholly owned by the Crown, or
(b) if the Secretary of State revokes the designation.
(5) Any notice of revocation under subsection (4)(b)—
(a) must specify the time from which the revocation has effect, and
(b) must be published by the Secretary of State as soon as reasonably practicable after the notice is given.
(6) For the purposes of this section a body corporate is wholly owned by the Crown if each share in the body corporate is held by—
(a) a Minister of the Crown,
(b) a company which is wholly owned by the Crown, or
(c) a nominee of a person falling within paragraph (a) or (b).
(7) Great British Railways is exempt from the requirements of the Companies Act 2006 relating to the use of “limited” as part of its name.
(8) In this section—
“company” means a company registered under the Companies Act 2006;
“Minister of the Crown” has the same meaning as in the Ministers of the Crown Act 1975 (see section 8(1) of that Act).”

252

Clause 17, page 9, line 30, leave out “have” and insert “as far as possible have due”

This amendment requires GBR to pay greater attention to the freight growth target.

253

Clause 63, page 35, line 37, at end insert—
“(aa) the achievement of the Rail freight target set out in Section 17, and”

This amendment requires GBR to retain sufficient capacity over GBR infrastructure to allow for the achievement of the rail freight target.

254

Clause 64, page 36, line 14, at end insert “and the higher amount does not hinder progress against the Rail freight target set out in section 17.”

255

Clause 64, page 36, line 34, at end insert—
“(8A) Following an appeal made under subsection (8), the ORR may, if it decides that GBR has not dealt fairly with the appellant, direct GBR to revise a scheme.”

This amendment requires that any charge levied by GBR under its charging scheme does not have a detrimental impact on the freight growth target.

256

Clause 72, page 41, line 38, at end insert—
“(3A) The regulations must not make provision for the Secretary of State to direct operational matters of customer and facility-owner freight sidings and terminals.”

This amendment ensures that the Secretary of State does not exercise powers over operational matters of customer and facility-owner freight sidings and terminals.

NC54

To move the following Clause—
“National signalling strategy
(1) Within 12 months of the passing of this Act and every subsequent 12 months, Great British Railways must publish a national signalling strategy.
(2) Each strategy under subsection (1) must set out expected signalling renewal requirements by operating region and route.
(3) Signalling requirements as set out in subsection (2) must be informed by the principle that new or renewed signalling will be digital and based on standards set by the European Train Control System.
(4) Great British Railways must align each strategy to—
(a) the infrastructure capacity plan in section 60,
(b) the rail strategy in section 15,
(c) each funding period as set out in schedule 2, and
(d) current and future planned infrastructure including electrification and rolling stock changes.
(5) Great British Railways must set out how each strategy is used to inform procurement, leasing and allocation decisions.”

This new clause introduces a national strategy for digital signalling rollout to create an approach to signalling renewals, enhancements, and interfaces with rolling stock, and to realise signalling safety, capacity, and performance benefits of digital signalling.

NC55

To move the following Clause—
“Mutual and co-operative structures
(1) Great British Railways must publish a report on the potential benefits to passenger railways services of mutual or co-operative corporate structures.
(2) The report under subsection (1) must consider the impact of mutual and co-operative corporate structures on employee engagement and governance.
(3) The report must be laid before each House of Parliament within six months of this Act being passed.”

This new clause requires GBR to explore and consider mutual and/or cooperative corporate structures with regards to employee engagement and governance.

NC56

To move the following Clause—
“Centralised train planning and auctioning
(1) Great British Railways must publish a report on the potential benefits to passenger railways services of the centralised train planning and auctioning scheme (“the scheme”) set out under subsection (2).
(2) The scheme must require Great British Railways to—
(a) create a centrally designed passenger rail services timetable, and
(b) auction to alternative operators of passenger rail services train paths that—
(i) are long-distance intercity routes;
(ii) have a high revenue yield.
(3) The report under subsection (1) must consider the potential impact of the scheme on customer service and choice.
(4) The report must be laid before each House of Parliament within six months of this Act being passed.”

This new clause requires GBR to explore and consider the potential benefits of centralised train planning and auctioning.

NC57

To move the following Clause—
“Anti-social noise
(1) Within six months of the passing of this Act, the Secretary of State must by regulations make provision to—
(a) prohibit any individual on passenger rail services from purposefully playing content with audio from personal electronic devices without the use of headphones in such a way that causes a disturbance to other passengers.
(b) The regulations must ensure that any person that contravenes the prohibition set out under subsection 1(a) is liable to a fine not exceeding level 3 on the standard scale set out in Section 122 of the Sentencing Act 2020.
(2) Regulations under this section are subject to the affirmative resolution procedure.”

This new clause would require the Secretary of State to introduce statutory regulations on the use of electronic audio devices on rail services.

NC58

To move the following Clause—
“Rails to Trails Programme
(1) The Secretary of State must, within 12 months of the passing of this Act, establish a programme to facilitate the conversion of disused railway lines, sidings and associated land into active travel routes for—
(a) walkers,
(b) wheelers,
(c) cyclists, and
(d) horse riders.
(2) The programme must include—
(a) a national statutory framework to support community groups and local authorities to acquire and convert the land set out in subsection (1),
(b) a long-term fund to provide financial incentives and resources for local authorities and public bodies to convert the land for such use;
(c) mechanisms to ensure landowners are fairly compensated for any land that is acquired or converted.
(3) The programme under this section is to be referred to as the “Rails to Trails Programme”.”

This new clause would require the Government to turn disused railways into active travel paths.

NC59

To move the following Clause—
“Police officer fare exemption
(1) The Secretary of State must make regulations which require Great British Railways to provide a scheme enabling police officers and Police Community Support Officers (PSCO) under subsection (2) to travel for free on railway passenger services.
(2) Regulations under this section must only make provision for police officers who—
(a) present a valid warrant card or PCSO designation card,
(b) are in full uniform or are undertaking such travel for operational purposes.
(3) Regulations under this section are subject to the affirmative resolution procedure.”

This new clause requires all rail operators to permit free travel for police officers on all passenger services, subject to certain requirements.

164

Clause 2, page 2, line 3, at end insert—
“(5A) This section is not to be read as preventing the exercise of functions by Great British Railways on behalf of the Secretary of State, the Scottish Ministers or the Welsh Ministers under arrangements made by the Secretary of State, the Scottish Ministers or the Welsh Ministers.”

This amendment clarifies that the Secretary of State and Scottish and Welsh Ministers may enter into agency agreements for the performance of functions on their behalf. For example, this may be required to assist with winding up of ongoing franchises, as they transition to GBR.

241

Clause 3, page 2, line 17, after “including,” insert “acting in a fair and non-discriminatory manner”

This amendment would require equal treatment between GBR and non-GBR services.

232

Clause 5, page 3, line 37, at end insert —
“(2A) Where no arrangement between Great British Railways and a relevant local authority exists, the relevant local authority may appeal a decision made by Great British Railways affecting passenger rail services within its boundary under section 67.”

This amendment is designed to give Mayors the right to appeal GBR decisions to alter passenger services in their area to the ORR in the event of no partnership existing.

214

Clause 5, page 4, line 11, at end insert—
“(d) a county council, district council or unitary authority with statutory transport responsibilities.”

This amendment ensures that non-mayoral local authorities are included in GBR’s duties to share information and coordinate rail and transport planning.

165

Clause 6, page 4, line 25, after “functions” insert “(within the meaning of the Railways Act 2026)”

This amendment defines GBR’s statutory functions in the substituted section 175(3) of the Greater London Authority Act 1999.

156

Clause 6, page 4, line 26, after “passenger” insert “and goods”

This amendment and amendment 157 add GBR’s statutory functions in relation to freight services to the functions in relation to which GBR must co-operate with Transport for London.

157

Clause 6, page 4, line 26, at end insert—
“(7) In subsection (3A)—
(a) after “passenger” insert “or goods”, and
(b) after “passengers”, in both places it occurs, insert “or goods”.”

See the explanatory statement for amendment 156.

166

Clause 7, page 5, line 4, leave out “operation of a GBR-provided Scottish service” and insert “exercise by Great British Railways of functions—
(i) on behalf of the Scottish Ministers in accordance with arrangements made under section 4, or
(ii) under a contract awarded under section 31(3)(b)”

This amendment broadens the circumstances in which the Secretary of State must obtain the consent of the Scottish Ministers, where giving directions to GBR.

167

Clause 7, page 5, line 8, leave out “operation of a GBR-provided Welsh service” and insert “exercise by Great British Railways of functions—
(i) on behalf of the Welsh Ministers in accordance with arrangements made under section 4, or
(ii) under a contract awarded under section 31(4)(b).”

This amendment broadens the circumstances in which the Secretary of State must obtain the consent of the Welsh Ministers, where giving directions to GBR.

168

Clause 7, page 5, line 18, leave out subsection (7)

This amendment removes provision that is unnecessary, as a result of amendments 166 and 167.

233

Schedule 1, page 55, line 10, leave out “consultation” and insert “agreement”

This amendment limits the Secretary of State’s powers unilaterally to set GBR’s licence.

206

Schedule 2, page 60, line 7, at end insert—
“(f) customer experience and satisfaction.”

This amendment expands the objectives the Secretary of State sets for railways funding settlements to include customer experience and satisfaction.

216

Schedule 2, page 60, line 39, leave out sub-paragraph (3) and insert—
“(3) The objectives set out under sub-paragraph (1)(a) must include objectives relating to passenger rail services.
(3A) The objectives set out under sub-paragraph (1)(a) may include, in particular, objectives relating to—
(a) the carriage of passengers or goods, save as already provided for under sub-paragraph (3);
(b) the railway network or railway assets (including objectives relating to the provision of the railway network or railway assets after the end of the funding period);
(c) fares;
(d) the accessibility of railway services to people with disabilities;
(e) the protection of persons from dangers arising from the operation of railways.”

This amendment would align funding of designated passenger train services with the five-year funding cycle for infrastructure.

215

Schedule 2, page 69, line 25, at end insert “including passenger services”

This amendment, along with Amendment 216, would align funding of designated passenger train services with the five-year funding cycle for infrastructure.

243

Clause 15, page 8, line 17, leave out “The Secretary of State” and insert “Great British Railways”

This amendment would make Great British Railways responsible for setting the rail strategy.

244

Clause 15, page 8, line 18, leave out “Secretary of State’s” and insert “Great British Railways’”

See explanatory statement for amendment 243.

207

Clause 15, page 8, line 21, at end insert—
“(c) the consideration of the national rail network as a whole, and
(d) the development of national and regional integrated timetables including—
(i) any infrastructure enhancements necessary to facilitate such development,
(ii) strategies at a local or regional level to deliver these enhancements in line with the 5-year funding periods; and
(iii) a system of prioritisation of connections between services, taking into account interchange times and overall end-to-end journey times resulting from those connections.”

This amendment introduces a requirement for the rail strategy to consider the rail network as a whole, and the relationship between integrated timetables and infrastructure enhancement to enable such integration.

224

Clause 15, page 8, line 21, at end insert—
“(c) the development of rail freight network usage.”

This amendment would require the rail strategy to include developing rail freight.

245

Clause 15, page 8, line 26, leave out “Secretary of State” and insert “Great British Railways”

See explanatory statement for amendment 243.

246

Clause 15, page 8, line 29, leave out “Secretary of State” and insert “Great British Railways”

See explanatory statement for amendment 243.

247

Clause 15, page 8, line 31, leave out “Secretary of State” and insert “Great British Railways”

See explanatory statement for amendment 243.

225

Clause 15, page 8, line 32, at end insert “, and persons wishing to operate services for the carriage of passengers or goods on Great British Railways’ infrastructure.”

This amendment requires consultation with freight operators during the preparation of the rail strategy.

213

Clause 15, page 8, line 35, at end insert—
“(8) The Secretary of State must lay before Parliament an annual report setting out any progress on the rail strategy.
(9) The report under subsection (8) must be sent to the Transport Committee of the House of Commons.
(10) References in this section to the Transport Committee of the House of Commons—
(a) if the name of that Committee changes, are references to that Committee by its new name, and
(b) if the functions of that Committee (or substantially corresponding functions) become functions of a different Committee of the House of Commons, are to be treated as references to the Committee by which the functions are exercisable.”

This amendment requires regular reporting to Parliament and the House of Commons Transport Committee on delivery of the rail strategy.

155

Clause 36, page 20, line 2, at end insert— "(c) must make provision for public engagement and consultation on proposals for reforms to passenger rail services made by the Department for Transport and Great British Railways, and (d) must put forward any of its proposals for reforms to passenger rail services to the Department for Transport and Great British Railways for consideration.”

NC22

To move the following Clause— "Passengers' Council: Membership and representation (1) The Secretary of State must by regulations make provision about membership of the Passengers' Council. (2) Regulations under this section must make provision that the Passengers' Council membership includes representatives from— (a) local friends of stations organisations; (b) local rail user groups; (c) regional rail travellers' associations; (d) community rail partnerships; (e) other national passenger groups. (3) Regulations under this section must include provision about the representation of the Passengers' Council on any board established by the Secretary of State to govern or otherwise oversee Great British Railways. (4) Provision under subsection (3) must include- (a) that any board includes in its membership a member of the Passengers' Council,

150

Clause 48, page 26, line 2, before "a mayoral strategic authority" insert "the mayor of"

151

Clause 81, page 47, line 35, before "a mayoral combined authority" insert "the mayor of"

152

Clause 81, page 48, line 6, before "a mayoral combined authority" insert "the mayor of"

153

Clause 81, page 48, line 13, before "a mayoral combined authority" insert "the mayor of"

NC15

To move the following Clause- "Great British Railways electrification programme (1) Great British Railways has a duty to publish and adhere to a programme of rail electrification. (2) The programme must seek to— (a) reduce cost, and (b) improve timely delivery of construction and delivery of infrastructure associated with rail electrification. (3) The programme must cover a period of five financial years, beginning with the financial year following the financial year in which the programme is first published. (4) The programme must be published each financial year thereafter, covering the period of the following five financial years."

NC16

To move the following Clause- "Access for All programme: review (1) Within a year of the passing of this Act the Secretary of State must conduct a review of the Access for All programme. (2) The review as set out in subsection (1) must identify the level of investment required to support accessibility improvements. (3) Accessibility improvements as set out in subsection (2) include ensuring step-free access to all- (a) platforms; (b) entrances to stations; (c) exits from stations. (4) The review must identify all stations with fewer than 1,000,000 entries and exits a year, as recorded by the estimates of station usage published by the Office for Rail and Road, that do not have step-free access as set out in subsection (3). (5) The review must set out an explanation for spending decisions on the Access for All programme between the period 25 October 2022 and 24 May 2024. (6) The review must set out recommendations with the objective of facilitating the level of investment required to support accessibility improvements.”

NC17

To move the following Clause- "Accessibility of passenger information: trains (1) Great British Railways and all passenger railway service operators must ensure that all trains that they operate provide passenger information announcements that are accessible for passengers with sight or hearing loss. (2) Announcements under subsection (1) include information on— (a) the current and next station; (b) interchanges at any given station; (c) safety. (3) The Passengers' Council must monitor compliance with subsection (1) under its duties in section 46."

NC18

To move the following Clause- "Accessibility of passenger information: stations and railway premises (1) Great British Railways and all passenger railway service operators must ensure that all stations and railway premises that they operate provide passenger information systems that are accessible to passengers with sight or hearing loss. (2) The Passengers' Council must monitor compliance with subsection (1) under its duties in section 46."

NC19

To move the following Clause- "Rail climate resilience and decarbonisation framework (1) The Secretary of State must, within 12 months beginning on the day on which this Act is passed, publish a framework that seeks to meet the following objectives— (a) reduce the carbon footprint of the rail network; (b) identify sections of the network vulnerable to climatic risks including drought, soil moisture deficit, flooding, heat and cold. (2) The framework must include a schedule of required infrastructure improvements to the sections of network identified under subsection (1)(b). (3) Great British Railways must publish a report on the progress of the objectives set out in subsection (1) every two years beginning on the date on which the framework is published. (4) The Secretary of State must lay before Parliament each report as set out in subsection (3)."

NC20

To move the following Clause- "Great British Railways: environmental targets In the exercise of any of its functions, Great British Railways must take all reasonable steps to contribute to— (a) the achievement of targets in sections 1 to 3 of the Environment Act 2021, (b) the achievement of targets set under Part 1 of the Climate Change Act 2008, (c) the programme for adaptation to climate change under section 58 of the Climate Change Act 2008, and (d) the achievement of targets set under the Air Quality Standards Regulations 2010."

NC21

To move the following Clause- "Review of public road level crossings (1) Great British Railways must conduct an annual review of all public road level crossings on the railway network. (2) The purposes of the review as set out in subsection (1) is to identify and mitigate severe road traffic congestion. (3) A review under this section must include- (a) a list of all crossings which are high-delay crossings within the meaning of subsection (12); (b) a report on of the economic and social impact of each high-delay crossing; (c) a report on the feasibility of replacing each high-delay crossing with an alternative means of crossing the relevant railway line. (4) A report under paragraph (3)(b) of this section must include- (a) an appraisal of the economic cost and social impact on the local area resulting from the closure of public roads on which any high-delay level crossing is situated; (b) an assessment of the average delay to journeys undertaken on the public road by emergency vehicles and goods vehicles; (c) a mitigation plan, for implementation in the short-term, describing potential operational changes to the high-delay crossing and public road to achieve a reduction in road closure, provided that such changes must be- (i) implementable as soon as is reasonably practicable; (ii) have no detrimental effect on the safety of any user of the high-delay crossing or public road. (5) Within eighteen months of any crossing being for the first time added to the list of high-delay crossings provided for in paragraph 3(a), Great British Railways must commission a feasibility and engineering study relating to the crossing ("a study"). (6) A study must consider the technical and economic viability of options for relieving traffic congestion on the public road where the high-delay crossing is situated, including options for alternative means for the public road to cross the railway line. (7) Options considered by a study for the purpose of subsection (6) include— (a) a supplementary high-capacity road crossing; (b) the construction of a road bridge or under-tunnel. (8) A study must include— (a) the estimated cost; (b) an assessment of engineering complexity;

109

Schedule 1, page 55, line 10, leave out from "may," to "grant” and insert "at the recommendation of the Office of the Rail and Road in relation to matters related to safety and standards and, after consultation with the Passengers' Council,"

110

Schedule 1, page 55, line 25, leave out “consultation” and insert "agreement"

111

Schedule 1, page 55, line 30, leave out “consultation” and insert "agreement"

112

Schedule 1, page 55, line 34, leave out "consultation” and insert “agreement”

118

Schedule 1, page 56, leave out line 6

113

Schedule 1, page 57, line 20, leave out "consult” and insert "obtain the agreement of"

117

Schedule 1, page 58, line 6, at end insert "including requirements to promote a fair and competitive retail market that treats all market participants, including Great British Railway's retailing function, on a fair and equal basis."

114

Schedule 1, page 58, line 20, leave out “consultation” and insert “agreement”

115

Schedule 1, page 58, line 21, leave out "consultation” and insert “agreement”

116

Schedule 1, page 58, line 23, leave out "consultation” and insert “agreement”

119

Schedule 2, page 60, line 2, at end insert- "(1A) The date specified in section 1(d) must be at least 24 months before the start of the funding period."

120

Schedule 2, page 60, line 36, leave out "may" and insert “must”

121

Schedule 2, page 60, line 39, leave out "may" and insert “must”

122

Schedule 2, page 60, line 41, after “(a)” insert “increasing"

123

Schedule 2, page 61, line 7, at end insert— "(f) delivering improved productivity and efficiencies."

154

Schedule 2, page 61, line 19, at end insert "mayor"

124

Schedule 2, page 62, line 9, at end insert— “(d) measurable performance indicators for each statutory duty listed in Section 18."

125

Schedule 2, page 62, line 9, at end insert— "(3A) The plan must set out how Great British Railways will ensure its activities minimise costs to the taxpayer.”

126

Schedule 2, page 62, line 17, leave out "advice” and insert “agreement”

127

Schedule 2, page 62, line 22, at end insert— "(c) whether carrying on those activities will be done in such a way as to minimise costs to the taxpayer.”

128

Schedule 2, page 62, line 27, leave out from “so” to the end of line 28 and insert "the approved business plan in full, apart from any sections which it considers to contain commercially sensitive information, and"

129

Schedule 2, page 63, line 26, at end insert— "(6A) The Secretary of State may not, however, vary the financial assistance provided to Great British Railways”

147

Schedule 2, page 64, line 1, leave out sub-paragraph (3) and insert— "(3) The Secretary of State may not vary the financial assistance to be provided under paragraph 6 unless- (a) the Secretary of State has consulted the Office of Rail and Road on the propsed variation, and (b) the Office of Rail and Road provides written consent that the variation does not undermine the approved business plan required by paragraph 4."

2

Clause 3, page 2, line 15, after “sale” insert “by promoting a thriving competitive market in the retail ticketing market”

3

Clause 3, page 2, line 20, after “services” insert “managed by Great British Railways”

4

Clause 3, page 2, line 22, after “services” insert “managed by Great British Railways”

130

Clause 3, page 2, line 22, at end insert— "(h) complying with the provisions of the Passengers' Charter laid under section [Passengers' Charter]"

5

Clause 3, page 2, line 23, leave out subsection (2) and insert— “(2) Great British Railways' function under subsection (1)(a) includes making strategic plans as to the future provision of railways infrastructure in Great Britain and implementing those plans. (2A) Decisions about access to, and use of, railway infrastructure for the operation of trains will be made by the Office for Rail and Road."

131

Clause 3, page 2, line 27, at end insert— "(2A) Great British Railways' function under subsection (1)(d) must be exercised in accordance with the findings of the report published under section [Report on Great British Railways' ticketing function]."

6

Clause 3, page 2, line 28, leave out subsection (3)

133

Clause 3, page 2, line 39, at end insert— "(4A) Great British Railways must, when exercising its statutory functions, seek to increase passenger traffic on railways.

7

Clause 6, page 4, line 15, after "with” insert "Secretary of State and"

8

Clause 6, page 4, line 17, after "Railways” insert “and the Secretary of State”

9

Clause 6, page 4, line 19, after "Railways” insert "and the Secretary of State"

10

Clause 6, page 4, line 21, after "Railways” insert “and the Secretary of State”

12

Clause 7, page 4, line 30, after “functions” insert “where the Office for Rail and Road, in carrying out its functions under section 69A of the Railways Act 1993 (as inserted by section 74 of this Act), has deemed Great British Railways to be in breach of its statutory functions.”

11

Clause 7, page 4, line 30, at end insert— "(1A) A direction under this section may only be given as a last resort, and only if the executive head of Great British Railways has had to be removed because Great British Railways is failing to comply with its key performance indicators as set out in section [Great British Railways: Key Performance Indicators]."

13

Clause 7, page 4, line 31, leave out subsection (2)

14

Clause 7, page 5, line 9, after "publish" insert "and lay before Parliament"

16

Clause 7, page 5, line 11, at end insert— "(5A) If the Secretary of State uses the powers in this section to give a direction to Great British Railways about the general level and structure of fares for travel on railway passengers services designated under section 25 or 26, then the Secretary of State must publish the assumptions, criteria, and objectives underpinning any direction.”

15

Clause 7, page 5, line 12, leave out subsection (6)

17

Clause 8, page 5, line 35, leave out subsection (2)

18

Clause 8, page 6, line 4, leave out subsection (6)

143

Clause 9, page 6, line 30, after "statutory functions” insert “, but only in respect of strategic or financial matters where such guidance is necessary and does not interfere with the operational exercise of those functions.”

19

Clause 9, page 6, line 30, at end insert- "(1A) The Secretary of State may only give guidance under this section if-

20

Clause 9, page 6, line 37, at end insert- "(5A) If the Secretary of State uses the powers in this section to give guidance to Great British Railways about the general level and structure of fares for travel on railway passengers services designated under section 25 or 26, then the Secretary of State must publish the assumptions, criteria, and objectives underpinning any guidance."

21

Clause 10, page 7, line 4, at end insert- "(1A) The Secretary of State may only give guidance under this section if— (a) Scottish Ministers have drawn to Great British Railways' attention that Great British Railways is not meeting a key performance indicator set out in section [Great British Railways: Key Performance Indicators], and (b) Great British Railways has not taken action to remedy this failing within the period of two months."

22

Clause 13, page 7, line 22, leave out "as it thinks fit" and insert "as are reasonable"

23

Clause 13, page 7, line 28, at end insert— "(3) A person aggrieved by a charge, or terms and conditions issued under this section, may appeal to the Office for Rail and Road."

134

Clause 15, page 8, line 18, at end insert “for the next 30 years for"

137

Clause 15, page 8, line 21, at end insert— "(c) the support given to rural communities in accessing rail travel, and (d) the co-operation with relevant local and regional transport authorities for greater integration between trains, buses, trams, cycling, walking and other active travel options."

24

Clause 15, page 8, line 21, at end insert— "(1A) The document set out in subsection (1) must ensure that Great British Railways is focussed on meeting the key performance indicators set out in section [Great British Railways: Key Performance Indicators]."

25

Clause 15, page 8, line 21, at end insert— "(1A) The document issued under subsection (1) must be in force for a minimum of three control periods. (1B) A control period as set out in subsection (1A) must be no shorter than five years."

135

Clause 15, page 8, line 25, at end insert— "(3A) The rail strategy must include an international rail strategy to— (a) support the development of new international routes, (b) support operators in introducing and operating any such new routes, and (c) support new and existing operators in using the Channel Tunnel and London St Pancras High Speed. (3B) In meeting the objectives under subsection (3A), the international rail strategy must— (a) consider options to increase rail depot capacity at, and to supplement, Stratford Temple Mills; (b) consider any enhancements that may be required to conventional rail network in the Southeast of England for the purpose of enabling international rail travel; (c) consider options for electrification, changes to gauge clearance, and any other alterations to rail infrastructure as may be necessary to increase the potential for increased rail freight to travel via the Channel Tunnel."

136

Clause 15, page 8, line 25, at end insert— "(3A) The rail strategy must include a network electrification strategy to- (a) require that any new rail lines are electrified, and (b) set criteria for determining which existing rail lines should be fully electrified, based on current and potential operation of those lines, and set a timetable by which electrification should be completed. (3B) In preparing the network electrification strategy under subsection (3A), the Secretary of State must take into account the current and potential future— (a) maximum operating speed of, (b) average number of trains in an hour using, (c) average volume of freight transported on, (d) maximum potential reliability of rolling stock using, and (e) acceleration requirements of trains using the relevant lines."

26

Clause 16, page 9, line 11, leave out “have regard to” and insert “seek to achieve"

27

Clause 17, page 9, line 23, leave out “Secretary of State” and insert “Great British Railways"

28

Clause 17, page 9, line 25, leave out "Secretary of State” and insert "Great British Railways"

29

Clause 17, page 9, line 28, leave out “Secretary of State” and insert “Great British Railways"

30

Clause 17, page 9, line 32, leave out “Secretary of State” and insert “Great British Railways"

149

Clause 17, page 9, line 34, at end insert- “(5) The Secretary of State must publish a national freight strategy. (6) A strategy as set out in subsection (5) must make provision for the electrification of freight routes and infrastructure improvements to support increased freight capacity and utilisation."

34

Clause 18, page 10, line 12, leave out “They” and insert “Each person or organisation designated under section 18(1)"

35

Clause 18, page 10, line 17, at end insert “and to increase the number of passenger journeys in absolute terms and as a percentage of passenger journeys by mode of transport.”

33

Clause 18, page 10, line 23, at end insert— "(g) in the manner best calculated to increase the number travelling by railway, (h) in the manner best calculated to contribute to economic growth,

31

Clause 18, page 10, line 25, at end insert— "(2A) The Secretary of State must set out in an annual report laid before both Houses of Parliament how it has balanced the requirements of paragraphs (2)(a) to (g)."

32

Clause 18, page 10, line 37, leave out sub-paragraphs (a) and (b) and insert— "(a) reliability, including punctuality, cancellations, short-forming, delays and the reliability of key connections, (b) safety and security, including safety incidents, security incidents affecting passengers, staff presence, and the delivery of safety-critical maintenance, (c) passenger comfort and on-board experience, including cleanliness, the functioning of heating, air-conditioning and lighting, overcrowding, the availability and performance of any internet connection or power sockets, and toilet facilities, (d) affordability and value for money, including levels of fares, the availability of discounted or flexible fares, transparency of fare information, and passenger perception of value for money, (e) passenger growth and network expansion, including growth in passenger numbers, the number of communities served, service frequency, and the provision of new or restored services."

36

Clause 18, page 10, line 41, at end insert— "(5) In this section, Great British Railways must make an assessment of the effect of procuring services from businesses in the private sector in meeting its duties under subsection (2)(f)."

37

Clause 20, page 11, line 22, leave out subsection (d)

38

Clause 20, page 11, line 27, after “competition” insert "and deliver value for money"

39

Clause 23, page 13, line 9, at end insert- "(3) The memorandum of understanding must be published at the same time as the Rail Strategy. (4) The memorandum of understanding must be laid before both Houses of Parliament for a period of two months before it can come into force."

40

Clause 24, page 13, line 31, at end insert- "(3) The memorandum of understanding must include details of the allocation of ticket sales from cross border routes that are operated by Transport for Wales. (4) The memorandum of understanding must be published at the same time as the Rail Strategy. (5) The memorandum of understanding must be laid before both Houses of Parliament for a period of two months before it can come into force."

41

Clause 31, page 16, line 30, leave out from "so” to “, in" in line 31 and insert "by making a direct award of a contract to Great British Railways, a GBR company, or a private business.”

42

Clause 31, page 17, line 2, after “public” insert “or private."

43

Clause 31, page 17, line 8, after "public" insert “or private.”

44

Clause 32, page 17, line 35, leave out subsection (3)

45

Clause 33, page 18, line 9, leave out subsections (1) and (2)

148

Clause 33, page 18, line 9, leave out subsection (1)

46

Clause 34, page 18, line 20, after "are” insert "UK veterans,"

51

Clause 34, page 18, line 20, after "are" insert "members of the UK armed forces and their families,"

56

Clause 34, page 18, line 20, after "are" insert "aged 26-30,"

1

Clause 34, page 18, line 22, at end insert— "(1A) Great British Railways must provide a scheme enabling persons who are British residents to travel at discounted fares for an annual fee on railway passenger services provided by all licensed rail operators."

61

Clause 34, page 18, line 25, leave out subsection (3)

47

Clause 34, page 18, line 28, after "are" insert "UK veterans,"

52

Clause 34, page 18, line 28, after "are" insert "members of the UK armed forces and their families,"

57

Clause 34, page 18, line 28, after "are" insert "aged 26-30,"

48

Clause 34, page 18, line 31, after "are" insert "UK veterans,"

53

Clause 34, page 18, line 31, after “are" insert “members of the UK armed forces and their families,"

58

Clause 34, page 18, line 31, after “are" insert "aged 26-30,"

49

Clause 34, page 18, line 35, after "are" insert "UK veterans,"

54

Clause 34, page 18, line 35, after "are" insert "members of the UK armed forces and their families,"

59

Clause 34, page 18, line 35, after "are" insert "aged 26-30,"

50

Clause 34, page 19, line 4, after "are" insert "UK veterans,"

55

Clause 34, page 19, line 4, after "are" insert "members of the UK armed forces and their families,"

60

Clause 34, page 19, line 4, after “are" insert “aged 26-30,"

62

Clause 34, page 19, line 10, leave out "lower fare” and insert "fare that is one third lower"

63

Clause 36, page 19, line 35, after “of” insert “all users, and potential users of the railways, including"

64

Clause 36, page 20, line 2, leave out “make efficient use of those funds” and insert “ensure value for money through a cost benefit analysis.”

65

Clause 37, page 20, line 14, at end insert- "(3) When the Passengers' Council makes representations under this section, either to the Secretary of State or Great British Railways, they are both under a duty to respond to those representations within the period of one month.”

142

Clause 39, page 21, line 19, at end insert— "(1A) The Passengers' Council must not investigate a matter unless the matter has been considered first by Great British Railways and is subject to an appeal for further consideration."

66

Clause 40, page 22, line 11, leave out subsections (5)(a) and (5)(b) and insert "the Passengers' Council may take such action (if any) as it thinks appropriate."

67

Clause 42, page 23, line 7, leave out subsection (2)

68

Clause 42, page 23, line 17, leave out subsection (3)(b)(ii)

138

Clause 43, page 23, line 21, leave out "may prepare a report of its findings" and insert "must publish and lay before Parliament a report of its findings"

69

Clause 43, page 23, line 33, leave out "may” and insert “must”

70

Clause 43, page 23, line 33, at end insert— "(3A) The report must be published within six months of the completion of the investigation."

140

Clause 43, page 23, line 34, leave out subsection (4)

71

Clause 46, page 24, line 26, after “for” insert “all users and potential users of the railways including, in particular,"

72

Clause 46, page 24, line 33, at end insert- "(e) passenger service reliability, including punctuality, cancellations, short-forming, delays and the reliability of key connections, (f) safety and security, including safety incidents, security incidents affecting passengers, staff presence, and delivery of safety-critical maintenance, (g) comfort and on-board experience on passenger services, including cleanliness, the functioning of heating, air-conditioning, and lighting, overcrowding, the availability and performance of any internet connection or power sockets, and toilet facilities, (h) affordability and value for money of passenger services, including fare levels, availability of discounted or flexible fares, transparency of fare information, and passenger perception of value for money."

141

Clause 46, page 25, line 1, leave out subsection (5)

73

Clause 46, page 25, line 1, leave out “and the ORR"

144

Clause 46, page 25, line 3, leave out subsection (6)

74

Clause 47, page 25, line 23, leave out from "Council” to the end of line 32 and insert "take such action (if any) as it thinks appropriate for the purpose of remedying the contravention, or avoiding it taking place or being repeated."

75

Clause 49, page 26, line 28, at end insert- "(h) passenger service reliability, including punctuality, cancellations, short-forming, delays and the reliability of key connections, (i) safety and security, including safety incidents, security incidents affecting passengers, staff presence, and delivery of safety-critical maintenance, (j) comfort and on-board experience on passenger services, including cleanliness, the functioning of heating, air-conditioning and lighting, overcrowding, the availability and performance of any internet connection or power sockets, and toilet facilities, (k) affordability and value for money of passenger services, including fare levels, availability of discounted or flexible fares, transparency of fare information, and passenger perception of value for money."

79

Clause 59, page 33, line 19, at end insert "in addition to a subsequent right to appeal to the ORR"

77

Clause 59, page 33, line 37, at end insert— "(7) Neither the Secretary of State, nor Great British Railways, may take any action to implement any part of the access and use policy until a copy of the policy has been laid before Parliament for a period of three months.”

76

Page 33, line 6, leave out Clause 59

78

Clause 60, page 34, line 14, at end insert— "(4A) When preparing, revising or replacing the document or documents Great British Railways must consult and have regard to the views of other railway passenger services and services for the carriage of goods by railway."

81

Clause 63, page 35, line 34, leave out from “to” to the end of line 37 and insert “be satisfied that it retains sufficient capacity across GBR infrastructure to allow for— (a) the operation of GBR passenger services, passenger services not operated by GBR and services for the carriage of goods by railway, and"

80

Clause 63, page 35, line 34, leave out from "ensure” to the end of line 39 and insert "be satisfied that it will meet its key performance indicators set out in section [Great British Railways: key performance indicators]."

83

Clause 64, page 36, line 11, leave out subsection (3)

82

Clause 64, page 36, line 28, leave out “at any time” and insert "by giving no less than 12 months' notice"

84

Clause 64, page 36, line 34, at end insert— "(9) Neither the Secretary of State, nor Great British Railways, may take any action to implement any part of the charging scheme until a copy of the scheme has been laid before Parliament for a period of three months."

85

Clause 65, page 37, line 15, leave out subsection (3)(b)

87

Clause 66, page 37, line 32, after “ORR,” insert "open access operators,"

88

Clause 68, page 38, line 11, leave out subsection (1)

89

Clause 68, page 38, line 11, leave out from “must” to the end of line 15 and insert "determine the appeal on the facts and the law."

90

Clause 68, page 38, line 20, leave out paragraph (a) and paragraph (b) and insert— "(a) remit all or part of the provision appealed against to Great British Railways for reconsideration, or (b) quash all or part of the decision appealed against and substitute its own decision, as, at its discretion, it sees fit."

91

Clause 68, page 38, line 29, leave out from “question” to end of line 32

92

Clause 68, page 39, line 8, at end insert- "(f) open access operators."

93

Clause 68, page 39, line 18, at end insert— "(f) open access operators”

94

Page 39, line 23, leave out Clause 69

146

Clause 71, page 40, line 30, leave out paragraph (a)

95

Page 40, line 22, leave out Clause 71

96

Page 41, line 2, leave out Clause 72

99

Clause 74, page 42, line 24, after "monitor” insert "and audit"

100

Clause 74, page 42, line 29, after "monitoring” insert "and auditing"

101

Clause 74, page 42, line 30, after “monitoring” insert "and auditing"

97

Clause 74, page 43, line 5, at end insert "including, where reasonably practicable, implementation of recommendations of safety improvements and standards developed through relevant industry bodies"

98

Clause 74, page 43, line 5, at end insert— "(d) whether the procurement of services from the private sector would represent a more efficient use of public funds."

102

Page 43, line 18, leave out Clause 75

103

Clause 80, page 47, line 13, leave out subsection (1) and insert- "(1) Great British Railways must inform Scottish Ministers before making a decision within subsection (2), and if, in the view of Scottish Ministers, the decision would significantly affect the interests of Scotland's economy or of persons living in, working in, or visiting Scotland, Great British Railways must consult Scottish Ministers before making that potential decision."

104

Clause 80, page 47, line 21, leave out subsection (3) and insert- "(3) Great British Railways must inform Welsh Ministers before making a decision within subsection (4), and if, in the view of Welsh Ministers, the decision would significantly affect the interests of Wales' economy or of persons living in, working in, or visiting Wales, Great British Railways must consult Scottish Ministers before making that potential decision."

105

Clause 81, page 47, line 35, leave out subsection (1) and insert- "(1) Great British Railways must inform a mayoral combined authority prior to making a decision within subsection (2), and if, in the view of the mayoral combined authority, the decision would significantly affect the economy of the authority's area or of persons living in, working in, or visiting the area, Great British Railways must consult the mayoral combined authority before making that potential decision."

106

Clause 82, page 48, line 25, leave out subsection (1) and insert- "(1) Great British Railways must inform Transport for London prior to making a decision within subsection (2), and if, in the view of Transport for London, the decision would significantly affect Greater London's economy or of persons living in, working in, or visiting Greater London, GBR must consult Transport for London before making that potential decision."

107

Clause 85, page 50, leave out line 3

108

Clause 85, page 50, line 35, at end insert— "(c) passenger and freight service operators, including, but not limited to— (i) Great British Railways, (ii) groups representing passengers, and (iii) rail safety organisations."

86

Clause 92, page 53, line 40, at end insert— "(1A) Section 65 does not come into force until Great British Railways has published the performance scheme and laid it before Parliament."

132

Clause 92, page 54, line 5, at end insert", except that section 3(1)(d) may not be commenced until any report under section [Report on Great British Railways' ticketing function] has been published."

NC1

To move the following Clause— "Purpose of Great British Railways (1) The purpose of Great British Railways is defined by the following objectives- (a) prioritising the needs of Great British Railways passengers in decision-making, (b) delivering reliable, safe and accessible railway passenger services, (c) providing value for money for passengers and taxpayers, including consideration of the affordability of fare prices, (d) increasing passenger numbers and growing usage of the network year-on-year, (e) expanding and improving the network, including services, connectivity, and restoring or adding routes, (f) modernising working practices and innovating to improve productivity, efficiency, and passenger experience, (g) supporting economic growth, national productivity and improving connections between towns, cities and employment centres, (h) improving the experience of disabled and vulnerable passengers and ensuring consistent access to assistance, (i) ensuring fair and transparent treatment of open access, freight and devolved operators when allocating access and charges, (j) growing rail freight, including supporting delivery of the national freight growth target,

NC2

To move the following Clause— "Great British Railways: Key Performance Indicators (1) Within six months beginning on the day on which this Act is passed, the Secretary of State must lay before Parliament a framework of key performance indicators for Great British Railways (the "framework"). (2) The framework must include targets for each of the following key performance indicators- (a) reliability, including punctuality, cancellations, short-forming, delays and the reliability of key connections, (b) safety and security, including safety incidents, security incidents affecting passengers, staff presence, and delivery of safety-critical maintenance, (c) comfort and on-board experience, including cleanliness, functioning of heating, air-conditioning, and lighting, overcrowding, the availability and performance of an internet connection, power sockets and toilet facilities, (d) affordability and value for money, including the level of fares, availability of discounted fares, availability of flexible fares, transparency of information about fares, and passenger perception of value for money, (e) passenger growth and network expansion including growth in passenger numbers, number of communities served, service frequency, and provision of new or restored services, (f) financial sustainability, efficiency and productivity including operating subsidy levels, productivity improvements, delivery of projects on time and on budget, simplification of processes, including an explicit savings target set by the Secretary of State, and (g) freight growth and performance including rail freight volumes, punctuality, reliability, allocation of freight paths and capacity at pinch points.

NC3

To move the following Clause— "Great British Railways retail requirements (1) Great British Railways Retail is subject to the same conditions, standards and transparency requirements as all other accredited retailers. (2) Conditions, standards and transparency requirements as set out in subsection (1) include equal access to— (a) fares, (b) products, (c) technical systems, and (d) data feeds."

NC4

To move the following Clause— "Secretary of State: power to dismiss the executive head of Great British Railways (1) The Secretary of State may dismiss the executive head of Great British Railways. (2) The Secretary of State shall only exercise the power in subsection (1) if— (a) Great British Railways is not meeting a key performance indicator set out in this Act, (b) Great British Railways has failed to act on guidance given by the Secretary of State under section 9 of this Act."

NC5

To move the following Clause— "Great British Railways: reporting requirement (1) Great British Railways must publish an annual report. (2) The annual report must include Great British Railways' performance against its key performance indicators as set out in section [Great British Railways: Key Performance Indicators]. (3) Great British Railways must publish quarterly updates on its performance against its key performance indicators as set out in section [Great British Railways: Key Performance Indicators]."

NC6

To move the following Clause— "Repeal of the Passenger Railway Services (Public Ownership) Act 2024 The Passenger Railway Services (Public Ownership) Act 2024 is repealed."

NC7

To move the following Clause— "Purpose of the Passengers' Council The purpose of the Passengers' Council is to— (a) champion the interests of all users and potential users of the railway, including, in particular, the needs of disabled persons, (b) advocate for the reliability of passenger services, covering punctuality, cancellations, short-forming, delays and the reliability of key connections, (c) advocate for safety and security, covering safety incidents, security incidents affecting passengers, staff presence, and delivery of safety-critical maintenance, (d) advocate for passengers' comfort and on-board experience, covering cleanliness, the functioning of heating, air-conditioning, and lighting,

NC8

To move the following Clause— "Passengers' Charter (1) The Secretary of State must, within six months beginning on the day on which this Act is passed, lay before Parliament a Passengers' Charter. (2) A Passengers' Charter must include— (a) a guarantee about value for money, quality of service, and provision of adequate seating for any single part of a journey taken by rail for a duration greater than thirty minutes; (b) targets for reliability of services; (c) a timetable for implementing improvements to passenger accommodation on train services, including in relation to— (i) seat design, (ii) availability of high-speed WiFi and reliable cellular network service, (iii) provision of power outlets, (iv) storage for luggage, bicycles, pushchairs and prams, (v) provision of toilets, including standards of cleanliness and accessibility, and (vi) provision of on-board catering on any train service with a total duration of at least two hours; (d) a guarantee relating to improving the accessibility of trains, stations, areas immediately surrounding stations and interfaces with connecting transport modes, and replacement road services, for passengers with disabilities; (e) extension of the principles behind Delay Repay compensation to include a framework of compensation for failures to comply with the Passengers' Charter for lack of specified on-board amenities; (f) a commitment that Great British Railways will take all reasonable steps to ensure that systems for compensating passengers for delays or disruption-

NC9

To move the following Clause— "Report on Great British Railways' ticketing function (1) Great British Railways must prepare and publish a report on how it will exercise its function under section 3(1)(d) of this Act (the “ticketing function"). (2) A report under this section must include plans for Great British Railways to— (a) introduce a cap on fare increases not exceeding the rate of inflation, applicable to and reviewed as part of each 5-year funding settlement for the railway, (b) extend, and where not currently provided for provide, a 50% discount on all train fares for passengers aged under 18 years, (c) establish a tap-in tap-out method of ticketing across England, Wales and Scotland, (d) guarantee that any fare offered to passengers for purchase via any means is the best value fare, and that there is no inequality in fare for the same ticket when purchased via different means, (e) introducing a National Railcard across England, Wales and Scotland, (f) enable open-source access to Great British Railways' ticketing systems and rates databases for third-party retailers, (g) collaborate with local and regional transport authorities to enable multimodal ticketing between railway passenger services and local bus, light rail and other public transport networks, and (h) take all reasonable steps to simplify fares and remove barriers to travel where a single journey undertaken by a passenger involves travel on— (i) multiple rail services, or (ii) at least one rail service and at least one additional form of public transport. (3) For the purposes of this section the rate of inflation is calculated in accordance with any increase in the Retail Price Index."

NC10

To move the following Clause— "Review of passenger safety (1) Within six months beginning on the day on which this Act is passed, the Secretary of State must undertake a comprehensive review of passenger safety. (2) A review under this section must in particular have regard to the safety of women and disabled people. (3) The review must consider- (a) staffing levels at railway stations and on board trains, including for late-night services and other services which in the opinion of the Secretary of State give rise to a higher risk to passenger safety; (b) lighting in waiting areas; (c) opening hours and accessibility of help points; (d) CCTV coverage at stations and on trains; (e) the potential merits of introducing real-time reporting applications for incidents where a passenger is harassed or otherwise is unsafe, and an associated rapid response protocol following a notification being made to an appropriate authority via such an application; (f) public awareness of methods to report concerns about safety, including the British Transport Police text facility; (g) coordination of travel connections from stations at night, including between rail operators, local public transport and licensed taxi services; (h) the potential merits of increasing, where it is practicable, patrols of trains and stations by train managers, guards or other appropriate persons for the purposes of identifying incidents, supporting accessibility, and promoting passenger safety. (4) Where the review recommends any action to improve passenger safety, the Secretary of State and Great British Railways must make all reasonable efforts to implement that action. (5) In this section, “appropriate persons” has such meaning as the Secretary of State may specify, provided that it may have different meanings for different purposes."

NC11

To move the following Clause— "Fund for future railway improvements (1) The Secretary of State must establish a fund for the purpose of providing improvements to the railway in the long term, including investment in new or reopened railways lines and stations. (2) The fund under this section is to be called the Tomorrow's Railway Fund ("the fund"). (3) The Secretary of State may by regulations made by statutory instrument provide for monies to be allocated to the fund for each funding period. (4) Local and regional transport authorities may apply to the Secretary of State to receive a grant of monies from the fund, for the purpose of enabling construction of new railways stations and associated infrastructure. (5) A purpose enabling construction under subsection (4) includes a feasibility study for any station or associated infrastructure. (6) In this section “funding period” has the meaning given in Paragraph 1(9) of Schedule 2 to this Act."

NC12

To move the following Clause— "Restoring Your Railway fund: review (1) Within twelve months beginning on the day on which this Act is passed, the Secretary of State must lay before Parliament a report containing a review of the Restoring Your Railway Fund. (2) The review under subsection (1) must consider the effect of the fund on the reopening of railways lines and stations."

NC13

To move the following Clause— "Report on the potential merits of customer loyalty programmes (1) Within twelve months beginning on the day on which this Act is passed, the Secretary of State must lay before Parliament a report on the potential merits of customer loyalty programmes for rail passengers (“rail miles programmes”). (2) A review under this section must consider any beneficial effect on the growth of rail passenger numbers of introducing rail miles programmes."

NC14

To move the following Clause— "Report by the Secretary of State on types of traction (1) Within one year beginning on the day on which this Act is