Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of his Department’s regulation of the (a) finances, (b) performance, (c) public interest benefit and (d) transparency of train operating companies.

The Secretary of State for Transport does not regulate the rail industry. Regulation is carried out by the independent Office of Rail and Road (ORR).

The Secretary of State for Transport holds TOCs to account through the contractual terms of their franchise agreements. These include obligations around finance, operational performance, delivery of passenger benefits, and transparency. If a TOC does not meet these (or any other) obligations the SoS acts to remedy the situation in accordance with the enforcement provisions in the contract and in consideration of the SoS’s Statutory Duties given in the attached Public Enforcement Policy.