Rail Reform Consultation – Government response

05 November 2025

This morning, the Government published a response to its consultation on rail reform. These changes provide an opportunity to fundamentally redesign the railway around the interests of passengers and support a more customer-focused culture. It is also encouraging to see a strengthened role for the Passenger Watchdog.   

As attention inevitably shifts to the legislation, it is important not to lose sight of the ongoing challenges of running a railway that passengers rely on every day and recognise that change will depend on a lot more than what is written into law. We stand ready to play our part in this and will make sure the focus remains firmly on passengers before, during and after the change. 

Ultimately passengers will judge the reforms by how successful they are in delivering what matters most to them: reduced cancellations, increased punctuality, reliable delivery of Passenger Assist and turn-up-and-go, simpler fares and better communication during disruption.