Railways
The question
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 12 June 2026 to Question 4598 on Great British Railways, if she will list examples of current open access passenger rail services that her Department considers genuinely add value that benefits the public and align with the overall strategy for railways.
Answered by Keir Mather
In the right circumstances, Open Access can provide benefits to rail passengers, such as improved connectivity and choice. However, Open Access can also increase costs to taxpayers and create additional performance pressures on an already constrained network.
The Department will assess the financial, operational and performance impacts of individual applications and can provide support where benefits clearly outweigh costs to taxpayers without impacting upon the efficient operation of the network. However, access to the rail network is currently a matter for the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) and the Department is unable to direct the ORR in its decision-making. When making decisions the ORR will publish representations it receives.
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