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Great British Railways and Network Rail

Asked by Joe RobertsonConservativeDepartment for TransportTabled Answered 25 July 2025UIN 68898

The question

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what role Network Rail's System Operator has in the establishment of Great British Railways; and whether any staff have been moved to the System Operator since March 2025.

Answered by Simon Lightwood

Teams from the System Operator contribute to elements of the Great British Railways (GBR) design programme, where their expertise is relevant. They do this alongside other teams from across the industry with the design programme deliberately set up to draw on relevant capabilities from all parts of the railway. In addition, the Department for Transport has asked Network Rail’s System Operator to engage the railway industry in preparatory work on the anticipated changes to access and use of the railway network.

Some staff have been moved into the System Operator since March 2025 following the shut down of the previous government’s Great British Railways Transition Team (GBRTT].

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