Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to her Department’s press release entitled Rail passengers in the North to benefit from simpler fares and cheaper tickets thanks to public ownership, published on 24 July 2025, which (a) fares and (b) routes will be cheaper under Great British Railways.

GBR will be empowered to deliver industry-wide modernisation and reform of the complex and fragmented fares landscape inherited from privatisation. This will enable GBR to simplify the ticketing system and make it easy for passengers to find the right fare. We are already bringing some of the benefits to passengers as more train operators are brought into public ownership under DfTO. As announced on 24 July, LNER, TransPennine Express and Northern have expanded the availability of advance fares, making travel cheaper for passengers on journeys that cross between them.