Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the Railways Bill on private sector innovation within the rail industry.

Establishing GBR through the Railways Bill will provide an integrated approach and greater longer-term certainty for rail, giving the private sector the confidence it needs to invest and support innovation throughout the sector. In addition, open access operators can bring benefits to the rail network and passengers and will continue to play a role in delivering services where it represents best use of the network.