Transport Committee overwhelmed by level of response to its inquiry into the Railways Bill

The Transport Committee has reported receiving an overwhelming response to its inquiry into the Railways Bill, reflecting strong engagement from passenger groups, freight operators, local authorities, and other stakeholders. The inquiry, launched in early November, closed for written submissions on 26 November 2025.

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Ruth Cadbury, Chair of the Committee, said, “On behalf of my cross-party colleagues, I want to thank all those who wrote to us over a relatively short timeframe to help us with this inquiry. It speaks to the seriousness with which the sector is taking these reforms and a collective desire for these changes to be a success for the railways, for passengers and for freight.

“We don’t take for granted that so many stakeholders place their faith in us to undertake this scrutiny. This is shaping up to be a landmark, era-defining piece of legislation that will be talked about for many years. We’re glad to have been able to put so much valuable evidence on the record in time to inform forthcoming discussion of the Bill in Parliament.”

Submissions to the Committee have addressed a wide range of topics, including passenger experience, service standards, access to the rail network, regional governance, and freight operations. Passenger groups highlighted concerns around fares, ticketing transparency, and reliability, while freight operators and local authorities commented on how track access and charges should be managed under the proposed regulatory changes. Other contributors raised questions about how the new national regulator will interact with devolved governments and mayoral authorities.

The Railways Bill was formally introduced to Parliament on 5 November 2025. Its Second Reading in the House of Commons is scheduled for 9 December 2025, when MPs will question the relevant Minister and debate the Bill’s principles. Following this, a Public Bill Committee will examine the Bill clause by clause and may propose amendments. The Transport Committee intends to publish its findings and recommendations in advance of the Bill’s further parliamentary stages to ensure stakeholder input informs the final legislation.