Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department is taking to ensure Network Rail complies with operational safety procedures and maintains adequate independent oversight of railway safety, particularly at level crossings.

Network Rail is responsible for managing the safety risks arising from its infrastructure, including at level crossings, and for complying with relevant railway safety legislation. Level crossing safety remains a key operational priority for the railway.

The Office of Rail and Road (ORR), the independent safety regulator for Great Britain’s railways, oversees Network Rail’s compliance with that legislation.

This includes regulatory oversight of the management of level crossing risks, where the ORR has the power to investigate and take enforcement action where safety requirements are not met. This independent regulatory framework ensures that Network Rail is held to account for meeting its safety obligations.