Railways Bill
Transport Committee
Open
Inquiry
Opened: 5 Nov 2025
Parliament page
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 …
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22
Recommendations
11
Conclusions
1
Report
4
Oral sessions
5
Letters
4
Events
Activity timeline 15 events
24 Apr
2026
2026
Report published
10 Feb
2026
2026
Report published
28 Jan
2026
2026
7 Jan
2026
2026
Oral evidence
7 Jan
2026
2026
Formal meeting (oral evidence session) · The Grimond Room, Portcullis House
17 Dec
2025
2025
Oral evidence
17 Dec
2025
2025
Formal meeting (oral evidence session) · The Grimond Room, Portcullis House
10 Dec
2025
2025
Oral evidence
10 Dec
2025
2025
Formal meeting (oral evidence session) · The Wilson Room, Portcullis House
4 Dec
2025
2025
26 Nov
2025
2025
Oral evidence
Oral evidence sessions 4 sessions
7 Jan 2026
View on parliament.uk
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
17 Dec 2025
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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
10 Dec 2025
View on parliament.uk
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
26 Nov 2025
View on parliament.uk
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
Reports 1 report · click to expand
| Title | HC No. | Published | Items | Response |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8th Report - Railways Bill | HC 1472 | 10 Feb 2026 | 33 | Responded |
Recommendations & Conclusions
4 results
1
Conclusion
Accepted
8th Report - Railways Bill
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 …
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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
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22
Recommendation
Accepted
8th Report - Railways Bill
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 …
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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 the Government’s top priorities for the railway and will be a central focus for GBR and other key decision-makers in the industry.
Department for Transport
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25
Conclusion
Accepted
8th Report - Railways Bill
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 …
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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
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26
Recommendation
Accepted
8th Report - Railways Bill
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 …
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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 recently published Equality Impact Assessment.
Department for Transport
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Correspondence 5 letters
28 Jan 2026
To committee
Letter from the Minister for Rail, Department for Transport relating to the Railways Bill, dated 21 January 2026
Parliament page
4 Dec 2025
To committee
Letter from the Cabinet Secretary for Transport and North Wales, Welsh Government relating to the Railways Bill, dated 26 November 2025
Parliament page
26 Nov 2025
To committee
Letter from the Leader of the House relating to the passage and scrutiny of the Railways Bill, dated 11 November 2025
Parliament page
12 Nov 2025
To committee
Letter from the Secretary of State for Transport relating to the introduction of the Railways Bill, dated 5 November 2025
Parliament page
30 Oct 2025
To committee
Letter from the Chair of the Committee to the Leader of the House relating to the Rail Reform Bill, dated 28 October 2025
Parliament page