Great British Railways
Proposed body to oversee rail transport in Great Britain / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Great British Railways (GBR) is a proposed state-owned public body that is to oversee rail transport in Great Britain[1] except for Transport for London, Merseytravel, light rail and tram services. It is to assume most rail functions of the Department for Transport (DfT) and the Rail Delivery Group, including procuring services and setting fares. In addition, it is to absorb Network Rail to become the operator of most rail infrastructure across Great Britain.[lower-alpha 1] It will not affect the existing powers of the UK's devolved administrations in their areas.[2]
Industry | Rail infrastructure and asset management |
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Predecessor |
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Headquarters | , England, UK |
Area served |
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Products | Public transport |
Owner | |
Website | gbrtt |
The concession contract system is to be the long-term replacement for the previous system of passenger rail franchising run by the DfT, which became unsustainable early in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic. GBR will be modelled on the operations of Transport for London, which contracts services on systems such as London Overground. GBR is to be based in Derby.[3][4]
The 2023 King's speech announced the progression of a draft Rail Reform Bill which would enable the establishment of GBR, although it has not been timetabled in the Parliamentary programme.[5] In April 2024, the Labour Party confirmed that the establishment of GBR would be a key manifesto pledge, to be implemented should it win the 2024 United Kingdom general election,[6] along with a wider commitment to renationalise the UK rail passenger services.