Britain’s Government will submit Parliament on 5 November 2025 the Railways Bill, that will create Great British Railways (GBR) – a new publicly owned company, which will bring together the management of passenger services and rail infrastructure.
The landmark legislation will transform Britain’s railways, paving the way for a simpler, more reliable network, which puts passengers before profits.
“The introduction of this legislation is a major step towards a rail network that supports Britain’s businesses and delivers for the travelling public – paving the way for economic growth and access to opportunity across the country,” Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said.
GBR will be accountable to passengers, freight customers and taxpayers and will drive a relentless focus on responding to their needs. Responsible for coordinating the whole network: from track and train, to cost and revenue – GBR will deliver lasting change.
GBR, which will be headquartered in Derby, will create a simpler, more unified railway that delivers easier journeys and offers better value for money. This will include a new one-stop-shop app where passengers can check train times and book tickets.
The Railways Bill will also establish a strengthened passenger watchdog, which will be a powerful new voice to investigate poor service and advocate for improvements.
Major changes in the bill include a strengthened passenger watchdog that will have powers to investigate poor service and demand improvements as well as ensuring passengers have a clear and accessible service to escalate their complaints. Another change includes the fare and ticketing reform that will empower GBR to create a website and app, replacing 14 existing operator ticketing platforms.
In addition, the bill will place a duty on GBR to grow rail freight, meaning freight operators will benefit from a longer-term strategic approach to planning, including a new capacity allocation and timetabling process. This will give critical stability to the railway’s supply chain and increase investor confidence and support the growth of the sector.
The Railways Bill will give the devolved governments and England’s mayors a new role and a bigger say in how the railway is run in their patch to improve local connectivity.
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