London, 12th February 2026: The House of Commons Transport Committee’s report on the Railways Bill, published this week, confirms some of the risks created by the Government’s plans for Great British Railways (GBR).

However, it fails to recommend the full suite of safeguards needed to provide the necessary assurances which would give confidence to the private sector to continue to invest in Britain’s railway, fostering growth and productivity.

The Committee acknowledges that the Bill allows for GBR to both run trains and control access to the network without a sufficient appeals function to the regulator , and exposes the railway to political micromanagement.

These are precisely the dangers independent rail operators, third party retailers and the supply chain have been warning about.

Yet despite acknowledging the problems raised by stakeholders, the Committee, by and large, stops short of proposing adequate solutions.

ALLRAIL’s briefing note comparing our suggested changes to the Bill with the Transport Committee’s proposals can be found below:

John Thomas, ALLRAIL’s Policy Director, said:

“The Transport Committee has confirmed concerns raised by stakeholders that by centralising too much power in GBR and the Secretary of State, this Bill creates risks for customers and taxpayers. But acknowledging the dangers expressed by stakeholders is not enough.

Without some relatively minor amendments to the Bill, it will result in GBR discriminating in favour of its own services and more uncertainty for non-GBR operators – and that is a recipe for higher costs, less innovation, less private sector investment and worse outcomes for customers and taxpayers.”