Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of open access rail operators on (a) connectivity, (b) passenger choice and (c) service quality.

In the right circumstances, Open Access can provide benefits such as improved connectivity and choice for passengers but can also increase costs to taxpayers and create additional performance pressures on an already constrained network.

We are clear that there will remain a role for Open Access in the reformed rail sector, but equally that it must genuinely add value and not simply inhibit the efficient operation of the network or divert revenue from existing operators – all of which are currently supported by the taxpayer in some form.