Transport Focus written evidence submission to Transport Select Committee

23 January 2026

On 26 November 2025, Transport Focus submitted written evidence to the Transport Select Committee’s call for evidence on the Railways Bill.

About Transport Focus

Transport Focus is the independent consumer watchdog representing the interests of rail users throughout Great Britain; bus, coach and tram users across England, outside London; and users of the motorways and major A-roads in England. We answer to an independent chair and board with a range of expertise, including representation from Scotland, Wales and England. Working with transport providers and Governments across England, Scotland and Wales – and in partnership with our colleagues at London TravelWatch – we ensure that the users’ voice is heard

Our submission covers the three themes that the committee is focussing on:

• Passenger standards and experience.

• Access to the railway.

• The role of devolution in the Great British Railways (GBR) era.

A. Improving rail travel for passengers

Overall reforms and role of the Passenger Watchdog

We welcome the proposals in the Bill as an opportunity to fundamentally redesign the railway around the interests of passengers and create a more customer-focussed culture.

The success of the reforms will depend on how they are implemented, as much as the legislation itself. We believe the following are particularly important:

• Great British Railways (GBR) has the operational independence to plan and make decisions in the best interests of passengers.

• It is clear how GBR is held accountable for its performance and that this is done is a transparent and predictable way.

• Engagement with customers, particularly disabled passengers, is hard-wired into the design of GBR from the start.

We support the creation of the Passenger Watchdog with responsibility for consumer licence functions and increased statutory powers, grown out of Transport Focus. This is the best way to incorporate Transport Focus’s existing skills and knowledge. It also means these enhanced rail functions would sit alongside Transport Focus’s existing legislative duties for bus, coach, tram and road users, allowing the watchdog to have a multi-modal focus from the start. We agree with the broad functions assigned to the watchdog in the Bill, including taking on the consumer licence functions currently performed by ORR such as passenger assistance, passenger information, and complaints. We also welcome new powers for the watchdog to demand improvement plans; act as a statutory consultee on government and GBR policies, strategies and business and infrastructure plans; powers to request information from GBR and other rail bodies. This will put the Passenger Watchdog in a strong position to influence decision making, while also being able to challenge and hold GBR and other operators to account when they are let down.

We support the transfer of sponsorship of the Rail Ombudsman (RO) to the new watchdog.

This should create the least disruption for passengers and maintain the independent decision making required by an Ombudsman when considering individual cases. The RO already has the skills, experience and resources required and these can continue via the transfer of sponsorship. As the Passenger Watchdog our focus would be on improving complaint handling across the railway, driving up standards and treating complaints as valuable feedback on how to improve services.

We have been working closely with the Department for Transport (DfT), Office of Rail and Road (ORR) and the Rail Ombudsman (RO) to ensure that we have a robust plan to take on our new responsibilities, including the potential transfer of staff from the ORR to the new watchdog. We will develop a Memorandum of Understanding with ORR to guide how we work together once the functions transfer.

Fares and ticketing reform

Rail has an important social role in getting people to and from work, education and other essential services. Fares setting should not be just a commercial decision, these wider benefits and safeguards need to be factored in. We therefore support the continuing role of government in setting parameters and guardrails when it comes to rail fares, including mandating certain concessionary discount fare schemes. It will also be important that any protections put in place do not themselves inhibit innovation, including via third party retailers.

Our research on fares and ticketing shows that passengers want a system where buying a ticket is as simple and easy as possible and where they can have confidence that they have purchased the best ticket for the journey they want to make. There will be a clear passenger benefit from involving the Passenger Watchdog in fares, ticketing and retail development.

Improving accessibility

The Railways Bill is a positive step forward for delivering a railway that has accessibility at its heart. We were pleased to see a passenger and accessibility duty in the Bill to ensure GBR factors in the needs and interests of disabled passengers.

The recently launched Accessibility Roadmap gives valuable clarity on a series of important improvements that will be delivered before the launch of GBR. We will be working closely with organisations involved in the delivery of the Roadmap to make sure the changes are implemented with disabled passengers and that the promised benefits materialise. Hard-wiring accessibility into the culture and long-term planning of GBR will be critical. We will work with GBR to make sure this happens.

B. Network accessibility

Transport Focus believes Open Access has benefited passengers through promoting price competition and a focus on customer service alongside opening-up new services. We acknowledge that if GBR is to act as a directing mind, planning and operating the network efficiently, it will need to have a degree of control over access arrangements. We welcome the obligation on GBR to set policy and standard contracts transparently and in consultation.

We also support the role of ORR as an ‘appeal body’ if there are disputes.

C. Devolution

Having a single directing mind will need to be balanced with the devolution agenda. Devolution can clearly bring benefits for passengers. Place-based decision making can unlock better targeted investment, more effective integration between transport modes, and a greater ability to link transport to employment, education, housing and other services. We agree that devolved leaders should be consulted on GBR’s activity (including the development of railway plans, strategies and services), are able to scrutinise GBR’s performance and that GBR has due regard to devolved transport strategies. The challenge in implementing the legislation will be to provide greater clarity about how and in what way devolved leaders will influence and make decisions about the railway in their area. This is also important for transparency and accountability.