Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if his Department will publish (a) an estimated timeline for the creation of Great British Railways and (b) a date by when that organisation is expected to be fully functional.

The Government demonstrated its commitment to establishing Great British Railways as the guiding mind for the future of our railways in the Williams Shapps Plan for Rail published May last year. We will be starting extensive and detailed consultation with the industry and other interested stakeholders on the legislative aspects of rail reform soon and necessary legislation will be introduced thereafter.