Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment has been made of the potential impact of provisions in the Railways Bill on existing and future open access rail services; and what steps are being taken to ensure that such services are supported under the new framework.

The Government has been clear that the open access sector will continue to play a role in delivering services where it represents best use of the network. The Railways Bill contains clear legislative safeguards to ensure non-GBR operators, including open access operators, have fair access to the GBR-managed network. In addition, the ORR will be a robust appeals body for GBR’s access decisions, ensuring fairness in GBR’s decision-making.