Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of open access rail operators on levels of (a) inward investment, (b) economic growth and (c) regeneration.

Whilst the Department recognises the wider benefits that can be provided by open access operators in the right circumstances, the Department has not carried out such assessments. Access to the rail network is currently a matter for the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) in its role as independent regulator for the rail industry, who use the industry standard model to assess the impact of open access.