Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether trains carrying Greater Manchester Bee Network branding or livery will remain rail assets of Great British Railways or the Secretary of State, rather than assets of the Greater Manchester Combined Authority.

Livery reflects who is responsible for the service, not who owns the trains. Aside from some devolved services, where there are instances of ownership by the devolved authority, rolling stock is leased from rolling stock companies and managed day-to-day by the train operator. There is currently one Northern unit in temporary promotional Bee Network livery operating on Manchester‑area services, highlighting the forthcoming tap‑and‑go contactless integration on local rail; this is a branding exercise only and does not change ownership or leasing arrangements. As there are currently no rail services devolved to Greater Manchester, any trains operating on the GBR network would carry GBR livery rather than Bee Network branding. Through partnerships with GBR, there could be opportunities for external co-branding of rolling stock where Mayoral Strategic Authorities take a financial stake in service provision.