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Select Committee · Transport Committee

Railways Bill

Status: Closed Opened: 5 Nov 2025 Closed: 21 Jul 2026 22 recommendations 11 conclusions 1 report

The Government has introduced the Railways Bill to Parliament to legislate for its commitment to unify network operations with infrastructure management under a single organisation – Great British Railways. The Bill is expected to go through ‘line by line’ scrutiny by a Public Bill Committee, which is separate to the Transport Committee. Given the significant … Show more

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Reports

1 report
Title HC No. Published Items Response
8th Report - Railways Bill HC 1472 10 Feb 2026 33 Responded

Recommendations & Conclusions

4 items
1 Conclusion 8th Report - Railways Bill Accepted

Committee supports the Railways Bill's purpose to establish Great British Railways as the 'directing mind'.

We recognise the need for structural change on the railways. We support the main purpose of the Railways Bill: to establish Great British Railways as a single organisation overseeing both track and train, and capable of acting as a ‘directing mind’ for the railway. (Conclusion, Paragraph 3) Read more

Government response AI summary
The government will publish a document this Spring outlining key documents and target dates to ensure Parliament and industry stakeholders have confidence that further information on these products will be timely and forthcoming.
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Department for Transport
22 Recommendation 8th Report - Railways Bill Accepted

Amend Clause 18 and 36 duties, mandating bodies to improve rail network accessibility.

The clause 18 duty on Great British Railways, the Office of Rail and Road and the Secretary of State, and the clause 36 duty on the Passengers’ Council, should be amended to require these bodies to exercise their functions in a way that improves accessibility of the rail network. (Recommendation, … Read more

Government response AI summary
The Government welcomes the Committee’s support for the specific inclusion of the needs of disabled passengers in the passenger interest duty at clause 18, and in the duty on the Passengers’ Council at clause 36 and Accessibility is one of the Government’s top priorities for …
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Department for Transport
25 Conclusion 8th Report - Railways Bill Accepted

Railways Bill risks adding complexity to transport accessibility without enhancing enforcement.

The Department for Transport has previously accepted the need to update and streamline the complex and confusing legal framework for transport accessibility. It would be unhelpful were the Railways Bill to add more complexity to this situation, especially if it did not meaningfully add to practical opportunities for enforcement action … Read more

Government response AI summary
The government notes the recommendation but believes the Railways Bill is already clear on the matter of transport accessibility and freight, referring to existing clauses and stakeholder engagement.
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Department for Transport
26 Recommendation 8th Report - Railways Bill Accepted

Publish Equality Impact Assessment and clarify legal relationship with Equality Act duties.

The Equality Impact Assessment should have been published alongside the Bill to assist parliamentary scrutiny; we look forward to seeing it published as soon as possible. We ask that the Government clarify in that document or elsewhere the intended legal relationship between the clause 18 duty on promoting the interests … Read more

Government response AI summary
The government agrees with the recommendation, stating that the accessibility duty will independently support some of the requirements under the reasonable adjustments duty at section 20 of the Equality Act 2010, and that this relationship is set out in the recently published Equality Impact Assessment.
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Department for Transport

Oral evidence sessions

4 sessions
Date Witnesses
7 Jan 2026 Jeremy Westlake · Network Rail, Lucy Ryan · Department for Transport, Richard Goodman · Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, The Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill CBE · Department for Transport View ↗
17 Dec 2025 Bill Reeve · Transport Scotland, Fiona Hyslop MSP · The Scottish Government, Jamie Ross · Liverpool City Region, Jason Prince · Urban Transport Group, Mal Drury-Rose · West Midlands Rail Executive, Peter McDonald · The Welsh Government View ↗
10 Dec 2025 Alex Campbell · Transport Focus, Alex Robertson · Transport Focus, Anthony Smith · Independent Rail Retailers, Ben Plowden · Campaign for Better Transport, David Pitt · SilverRail Technologies UK Ltd, Emma Vogelmann · Transport for All, John Davies · Trainline, Sue Sharp · Disabled Persons Transport Advisory Committee View ↗
26 Nov 2025 John Larkinson · Office of Rail and Road, Maggie Simpson OBE · Rail Freight Group, Nick Brooks · AllRail, Stephanie Tobyn · Office of Rail and Road, Steve Montgomery · FirstRail View ↗

Who gave evidence

23 witnesses
WitnessOrganisationSessions
Alex Campbell · Director of Insight and Policy Transport Focus 1
Alex Robertson · Chief Executive Transport Focus 1
Anthony Smith · Chair Independent Rail Retailers 1
Ben Plowden · Chief Executive Campaign for Better Transport 1
Bill Reeve · Director of Rail Reform Transport Scotland 1
David Pitt · Vice President SilverRail Technologies UK Ltd 1
Emma Vogelmann · Co-Chief Executive Transport for All 1
Fiona Hyslop MSP · Cabinet Secretary for Transport The Scottish Government 1
Jamie Ross · Director of Transport Liverpool City Region 1
Jason Prince · Director Urban Transport Group 1
Jeremy Westlake · Chief Executive Network Rail 1
John Davies · Vice President for Industrial Relations Trainline 1
John Larkinson · CEO Office of Rail and Road 1
Lucy Ryan · Director for Rail Transformation Programme Department for Transport 1
Maggie Simpson OBE · Director General Rail Freight Group 1
Mal Drury-Rose · Executive Director West Midlands Rail Executive 1
Nick Brooks · Director General AllRail 1
Peter McDonald · Director of Transport and Connectivity The Welsh Government 1
Richard Goodman · Director General, Building Safety, Grenfell and N… Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities 1
Stephanie Tobyn · Director of Strategy, Policy and Reform Office of Rail and Road 1
Steve Montgomery · Managing Director FirstRail 1
Sue Sharp · Deputy Chair Disabled Persons Transport Advisory Committee 1
The Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill CBE · Minister of State for Rail Department for Transport 1

Correspondence

6 letters
DateDirectionTitle
3 Jun 2026 To cttee Letter from the Minister for Rail, Department for Transport relating to the Rai…
28 Jan 2026 To cttee Letter from the Minister for Rail, Department for Transport relating to the Rai…
4 Dec 2025 To cttee Letter from the Cabinet Secretary for Transport and North Wales, Welsh Governme…
26 Nov 2025 To cttee Letter from the Leader of the House relating to the passage and scrutiny of the…
12 Nov 2025 To cttee Letter from the Secretary of State for Transport relating to the introduction o…
30 Oct 2025 To cttee Letter from the Chair of the Committee to the Leader of the House relating to t…