| Railways bill formally starts Posted by stuving at 11:46, 5th November 2025 |     |
So, here it is at last. In about an hour's time Heidi Alexander is due to introduce the Railways Bill to Parliament. This is only a formal step, and may not even involve much of a statement (ass no time is allowed for it).
Presentation of Bills
No debate (Standing Order No. 57)
Railways
Secretary Heidi Alexander
Bill to make provision about railways and railway services; and for connected purposes.
No debate (Standing Order No. 57)
Railways
Secretary Heidi Alexander
Bill to make provision about railways and railway services; and for connected purposes.
There was a long statement put out by DfT today - too long to summarise, but you may find interesting bits in it to quote. The key sentence is the last one here:
Declining public trust and pride in today’s railway are symptoms of a system which has lost sight of the very people and customers it is meant to serve. A railway that, for 3 decades, has been focused on contracts and codes rather than the needs of its customers and taxpayers.
Britain deserves a railway fit for its future. One that restores a lost sense of pride and rebuilds the trust of each and every one of its passengers, with a relentless focus on their needs and the growth of their communities. As Transport Secretary, delivering this change is one of my top priorities. This vision is already becoming a reality as we bring more operators back into public ownership. But the outdated model of franchising and structural fragmentation still inhibits how the railway is run.
To fix this, we will introduce a new Railways Bill to fundamentally reform the sector and establish Great British Railways (GBR) as its directing mind.
Britain deserves a railway fit for its future. One that restores a lost sense of pride and rebuilds the trust of each and every one of its passengers, with a relentless focus on their needs and the growth of their communities. As Transport Secretary, delivering this change is one of my top priorities. This vision is already becoming a reality as we bring more operators back into public ownership. But the outdated model of franchising and structural fragmentation still inhibits how the railway is run.
To fix this, we will introduce a new Railways Bill to fundamentally reform the sector and establish Great British Railways (GBR) as its directing mind.
