Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether Network Rail’s debt will move to the balance sheet of Great British Railways.

The public consultation for the government’s upcoming Railways Bill was launched in February. This consultation sets out our proposals for the most comprehensive reform of Britain’s railways in 30 years.

This included the plan to establish Great British Railways (GBR) as the directing mind in charge of Britain’s railway, bringing responsibility for train services and rail infrastructure together into one integrated organisation.

GBR will accordingly be designed in an appropriate manner so that it can efficiently and effectively carry out its intended functions. The future of Network Rail’s legacy debt will be considered as part of the detailed design process.