How would the draft Rail Reform Bill impact passengers, ticket retail and suppliers?
The Transport Committee will continue its scrutiny of the Government’s draft Rail Reform Bill. In this session, MPs will hear from witnesses who represent the interests of rail passengers, ticket retailers and the wider rail industry, including rolling stock companies (ROSCOs).
Meeting details
The Government’s draft Bill, published in February, proposes legislation needed to deliver reforms included in the Government’s Plan for Rail. This includes establishing an Integrated Rail Body - branded as Great British Railways (GBR) - and giving it new legal powers to manage and oversee the country’s rail infrastructure and franchising of services to train operating companies.
In the first panel, MPs will question Transport Focus, Campaign for Better Transport and the Disabled Persons Transport Advisory Committee (DPTAC). The Committee is likely to explore views on how the Bill will impact passengers, provisions for passengers with accessibility needs, and whether consumer champion Transport Focus will have adequate power to advocate on behalf of passengers.
The Committee will then hear from Trainline and SilverRail, two suppliers of digital rail ticketing services. Questions may focus on their reaction to the Government’s decision to no longer pursue a centralised ticketing platform run by GBR and concerns about fair competition between ticket retailers.
In the final panel, MPs will question rolling stock company Angel Trains and the Railway Industry Association on the views of the wider rail industry. The Committee could seek to understand whether the Bill should have set out details of future franchising arrangements and concerns about whether it gives the supply industry the certainty and clarity it needs.