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Railways: Competition

Asked by Wendy MortonConservativeDepartment for TransportTabled Answered 27 October 2025UIN 83842

The question

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps is she taking to a) support and b) encourage new open access rail applications.

Answered by Simon Lightwood

We want a rail sector that is innovative and provides greater connectivity and understand that Open Access can support this aim. That is why we have been clear that we will support Open Access in the right circumstances, and why my department stands ready to engage with Open Access operators to assess the financial, operational and performance impacts of individual applications on a case-by-case basis. We will, however, only provide support to individual applications where benefits clearly outweigh costs to taxpayers and do not impact upon the efficient operation of the network.

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