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Select Committee · Transport Committee

Railways Bill

Status: Open Opened: 5 Nov 2025 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 …

Clear

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)

Government response. 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.
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, …

Government response. 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 …
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 …

Government response. 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.
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 …

Government response. 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 …
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 ↗

Correspondence

5 letters
DateDirectionTitle
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…