15 April 2025
Response to consultation “A railway fit for Britain’s future” This document is the Railway Industry Association’s (RIA’s) response to the Department for Transport’s (DfT’s) consultation on rail reform legislation, “A railway fit for Britain’s future”, following discussions with members companies, and previous engagement on rail reform. This overarching response provides an assessment of the proposals against RIA’s five tests for rail reform. As well as submitting this overarching response, the Annex provides responses to the specific consultation questions.
1. Context RIA considers the proposed reforms for UK rail present an opportunity to reset the way the railway works. The consultation is therefore a welcome step forward. Six and a half years on from the commissioning of the Williams Review, reform needs to happen soon, and in a planned way, removing ongoing uncertainty over the future structure of the sector. Businesses need to see a clear and realistic timetable to implement reforms. RIA has previously welcomed the opportunity to better integrate track and train operations and set out five tests for Great British Railways (GBR) to ensure the restructure is a success. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.
No hiatus in current work: The majority of railway spend is with the private sector - there cannot be a pause in this work; Ambition: Leave a positive legacy, including in safety, decarbonisation, exports and the economy; Productivity: Ensure the rail industry is able to thrive - financial sustainability will ensure rail delivers for UK plc; Transparency: Be clear and transparent with rail suppliers, to allow them to deliver and invest; and Partnership: Be an open and accessible client, and partner with the private sector for the best results.
RIA has reviewed the consultation proposals against the above tests and identified a number of factors that will be critical to success (see table on next page). Not all of these are matters for legislation, and even where they are, there will be substantial work to be done outside of legislation, which is the case in every area. RIA is ready to support the DfT and Shadow GBR across these areas in preparation for GBR being established as soon as 2027. The specific details of the proposed legislation have not been published, and the exact detail will be very important in determining the effect of changes. The following analysis is inevitably high level, but would benefit from a fuller conversation about the specific legislative plans.
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