The UK government has passed the Railways Bill into law, initiating the creation of Great British Railways (GBR).
GBR will be a new publicly owned company, which will bring together the management of passenger services and rail infrastructure.
GBR will be accountable to passengers, freight customers and taxpayers and will drive a relentless focus on responding to their needs, the government stated.
It will be headquartered in Derby, with GBR including a new one-stop-shop app where passengers can check train times and book tickets.
UK secretary of state for transport, Heidi Alexander, said: “Today’s passengers are at the mercy of a complex system of poorly coordinated organisations, all incentivised to look inward and outsource blame.
“GBR will put an end to this by bringing together the work of 17 different organisations – from train operators to public bodies, government, and the regulator – eliminating unnecessary duplication and creating a single organisation responsible for operating, maintaining and improving our railways.
The bill will also introduce a passengers watchdog that will have powers to investigate poor service and demand improvements as well as ensuring passengers have a clear and accessible service to escalate their complaints.
“GBR will create a new culture that prioritises passengers and their experience,” Alexander continued.
“It will simplify fares and ticketing, setting more transparent fares in line with parameters set by ministers. It will consolidate the ticket retailing operations of 14 separate train companies – each with their own websites and apps – into a single, straightforward GBR ticketing platform.
“A new GBR app and website will make it easy to purchase tickets, check train times, and access a range of support all in one place.”
Achievements and innovations in public transport planning will be recognised and celebrated at the fourth annual CiTTi Awards on 25 November 2025 at De Vere Grand Connaught Rooms in London. Visit www.cittiawards.co.uk to learn more about this unmissable event for the UK’s transportation sector!
