The UK government is introducing legislation to create Great British Railways (GBR), a new publicly owned organisation intended to simplify the management of Britain’s rail system and “place passengers before profits.”
The Railways Bill, laid before Parliament on 5 November, will merge responsibility for track and train operations under a single body headquartered in Derby. Great British Railways will coordinate passenger and freight services, infrastructure, and revenue, with a focus on improving reliability, accessibility, and value for money.
Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said:Britain deserves a railway that is fit for the future - one that rebuilds the trust of its passengers, regenerates its communities and restores reliability and value for money.
The introduction of this legislation is a major step towards a rail network that supports Britain’s businesses and delivers for the travelling public – paving the way for economic growth and access to opportunity across the country.
Under the proposals, GBR will oversee fare and ticketing reform, including the introduction of a unified website and app to replace the 14 different operator platforms currently in use. Passengers will still be able to buy tickets in person at stations or on trains, while the new system is expected to expand pay-as-you-go and flexible fare options.
The Bill will also establish a strengthened passenger watchdog with powers to investigate poor service and advocate for improvements.
In parallel, the government will publish an Accessibility Roadmap setting out measures to make the railway more inclusive. These include expanding eligibility for the Disabled Persons Railcard, introducing more ‘Welcome Points’ at stations, improving staff training, and upgrading accessibility infrastructure such as lifts and escalators.
GBR will have a statutory duty to grow rail freight, providing operators with greater long-term certainty and improving timetabling and capacity planning. The Bill also proposes to give devolved governments and city mayors more influence over rail services in their regions.
The government said GBR will be accountable to passengers, freight customers and taxpayers, with the aim of creating a unified, publicly owned rail system to drive growth, connectivity, and customer satisfaction across the country.
