Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask His Majesty's Government when they expect to publish the Great British Railways access and use policy.

To ensure a smooth transition from today’s access and charging regime to the new access and charging framework under Great British Railways (GBR), Network Rail System Operator (NRSO) were commissioned to develop a draft Access and Use Policy for consultation on behalf of GBR. NRSO has led a highly collaborative and transparent process in the development of this important work. This includes publishing a Discussion Document last December that set out emerging thinking for further engagement and policy development on key areas such as capacity allocation, timetabling, setting of access charges and managing performance alongside frequent engagement with the industry.

A full draft of the Access and Use Policy is expected to be published by NRSO later this year which will give industry an opportunity to formally provide comments and responses before Great British Railways is fully established.