Written questions by Mayhew.

What targets Great British Railways will be set for increasing the volume of freight transported by rail.

The Government recognises that the economic and environmental potential of rail freight is significant and is committed to the target of at least a 75% increase in freight moved by rail by 2050, alongside other targets that will be announced prior to the stand up of Great British Railways. The recently published Railways Bill requires the Secretary of State to set a rail freight growth target and for GBR to have regard for it.

Whether Great British Railways will be required to publish an annual environmental performance report.

We expect that GBR will include detail in their annual report and accounts as Network Rail do today, and for GBR to comply with all legal requirements. We remain committed to addressing the environmental challenges faced not only by rail – which is already a comparatively low-emission way to travel – but across all transport modes.

What functions of Great British Railways will be located at the new Derby headquarters.

Derby will be the heart of our new rail network as the home of GBR, and work to establish the GBR Headquarters in Derby, including which functions will be located there, is continuing. The national headquarters will bring high-skilled jobs to a city already brimming with rail industry talent.

What fiscal provision has been made to cover the costs of relocating key Network Rail and DfT Operator Limited personnel to Derby, as part of establishing the new headquarters of Great British Railways.

The work to establish GBR Headquarters in Derby is continuing. It is not, at this time, confirmed which key roles will be based in Derby. Should any key roles be relocated, the costs associated with this will be defined as part of formal consultation.

What recent estimate her Department has made of the savings arising from the establishment of Great British Railways; and what (a) data and (b) calculations her Department used to make this estimate.

The Railways Bill Impact Assessment provides an assessment of the potential impacts of the rail reform policies within the Railways Bill, including the establishment of Great British Railways.

What mechanisms her Department will establish to safeguard commercially sensitive route proposals made by open access rail operators.

The Railways Bill will reform the existing rules for access and use of the railway by enabling GBR to take decisions on best use of the network. GBR will make these decisions against duties clearly defined in the bill, public law principles including to act fair and transparently, its own policies (which legislation requires GBR must consult on and publish), and wider legal obligations, including competition law. GBR's processes and behaviours will need to ensure that any third party commercial sensitive information provided to GBR as part of this assessment is appropriately handled, in manner that enables all parties to comply with their legal obligations.

What assessment she has made of potential conflicts of interest arising from Great British Railways acting as both infrastructure manager and passenger service operator.

Government is bringing track and train together in Great British Railways, which will be a directing mind able to take long-term strategic decisions to make the best use of the network and which will deliver benefits for passengers, freight users and taxpayers. Beyond the specific requirements of the Railways Bill, GBR will be subject to legal obligations such as public law requirements to act transparently and fairly, and competition and subsidy control legislation, all of which helps ensure that GBR will act fairly, transparently and in the public interest.

What mechanisms will her Department put in place to ensure operational decisions taken by Great British Railways are accountable to passengers.

GBR will be held to account for railway performance and customer experience.There will be a powerful voice for passengers, the Passenger Watchdog, which will independently monitor passenger experience, advocate for passengers and monitor GBR and other operators. Minimum consumer standards will be set and monitored by the Passenger Watchdog and independently enforced by ORR. ORR will also have powers to independently monitor GBR's business performance and advise the Transport Secretary.When developing its Integrated Business Plan, GBR will be required to consult with the Passenger Watchdog and will have a continuing general duty to consider the interests of passengers and the needs of passengers with disabilities.

Whether her Department plans to set statutory response times for complaints made under the Great British Railways passenger complaints system.

We expect that the establishment of GBR will mean that there will be a single complaint process for passengers for the majority of rail services.GBR will have to follow the minimum standards set by the passenger watchdog on complaint handling when setting up its complaint handling system. ORR currently sets this standard and guides licenced operators to provide a full response to at least 95% of all complaints within 20 working days. It will be up to the watchdog to determine if this guidance is updated once it takes over this function from ORR.The passenger watchdog will also ensure all passengers have access to a fair and independent alternative dispute resolution service (the Rail Ombudsman) to resolve disputes with operators where passengers have been let down.

What mechanisms will her Department establish to resolve disputes between Great British Railways and devolved administrations over service provision.

The Railways Bill has been introduced to end the outdated model of franchising and structural fragmentation that inhibits how the railway is run. The vision for the future relationship between GBR and devolved operators is one of collaboration between public sector providers, delivering for passengers, freight and taxpayers. The Bill requires the preparation and publication of two separate Memoranda of Understanding between the Secretary of State for Transport and Welsh Ministers and Scottish Ministers respectively. These will set out how UK and Devolved Ministers will cooperate with each other and how they expect GBR and devolved operators to work together. The Bill requires GBR to consult Scottish and Welsh Ministers on its Access and Use Policy, which will set out the processes that GBR will follow when making decisions on access to its network and the criteria it intends to use to make those decisions. GBR will also be required to consult Scottish and Welsh Ministers on significant changes to GBR services to or from Scotland or Wales, respectively.

Whether Great British Railways will be required to ensure interoperability between its ticketing systems and those operated by (a) devolved and (b) regional authorities.

Once GBR is established, it will deliver a high-quality website and app to customers, gradually replacing the 14 different DfT train operator websites that currently retail tickets. GBR will compete on a fair and open basis with independent retailers — as well as with open access operators and devolved operators, who will also be able to retail to passengers, just as they do today. The government looks forward to working with all stakeholders on the delivery of its reforms.

Pursuant to the Answer of 15 October 2025 to Question 73726 on Passenger Standards Authority, what is her expected timetable for the delivery of the Passenger Watchdog.

The passenger watchdog will be stood up as soon as practicably possible following Royal Assent for the Railways Bill.

What guidance she plans to issue on Great British Railways’ responsibilities for (a) national ticketing, (b) fare setting and (c) the administration of discount schemes for (i) young, (ii) elderly and (iii) disabled passengers.

The Government's response to the Railways Bill consultation has confirmed plans for the future of the rail retail market once Great British Railways (GBR) is established. It also set out GBR's and the Secretary of State's roles in relation to fares setting, and the continued safeguarding in legislation of discount schemes for young people, older people and disabled people. This is an important step in providing further clarity on how ticketing and fare setting will operate under GBR, and the Government looks forward to continuing to work with all stakeholders on the delivery of its reforms.

Pursuant to the Answer of 14 October 2025 to Question 77641 on Railways: Facilities Agreements, if she will publish (a) the terms of reference, (b) the memorandum of understanding and (c) associated documents which set out the role of DfT Operator Limited in operation of the railways, (i) prior to and (ii) subsequent to renationalisation.

The Framework Document is being reviewed and updated following the change of role from the DfT Operator of Last Resort to the Operator of First Choice. The Framework Document will be published on the Government website in due course. As the rail public sector owning group, the DFTO is a co-signatory to Services Agreements alongside the Department and public sector operators. Services Agreements set out the Secretary of State’s requirements and will also be made available on the Government’s website in due course.

What assessment she has made of the cost implications of transferring research and advisory functions from Network Rail to Great British Railways.

Network Rail and its functions will become a foundational part of Great British Railways (GBR) as it is stood up. It is therefore unlikely that there will be significant costs in transferring functions currently within Network Rail into GBR. However, detailed design and implementation work is currently underway and no assessment has yet been made of the specific cost implications of transferring research and advisory functions from Network Rail to GBR.

Whether franchised bus networks in combined authorities are reliant on (a) emergency and (b) extraordinary Government funding support.

No. In England outside London, the only franchised bus services in combined authorities operate in Greater Manchester. Since franchised bus services were first introduced in Greater Manchester in September 2023, no emergency or extraordinary funding for franchised bus networks has been announced by the Department for Transport.

What recent progress she has made in increasing rail freight growth.

The Government, alongside Network Rail and the rail freight sector, continue to make progress on ensuring the growth of rail freight. In the year April 2024 to March 2025, rail freight volumes increased by 5%. Network Rail’s Access Charge Discounts Policy scheme has been crucial in helping new flows get up and running. Since launching in August 2024, the scheme has supported 15 new flows. Four of the five flows that have passed the discount period have continued to operate, undiscounted.

How much funding her Department has provided to the Greater Manchester Bee Network since July 2024.

The Department is committed to supporting the development of integrated transport systems that work better for people and communities across the country, including the Bee Network. Between 2022-23 and 2026-27, we are providing £1.07bn of City Region Sustainable Transport Settlement funding to Greater Manchester to deliver transformational change to Greater Manchester’s transport infrastructure. Greater Manchester will also be eligible for an additional £14m in Highways Maintenance funding in 2025-26, to support maintenance of the local highway network and ensure the smooth running of buses and active travel in the Bee Network. Additionally, we are supporting Greater Manchester to maintain and improve bus services in the Bee Network with £80.8m of funding in 2024-25 and £66.4m of funding in 2025-26. We have supported Greater Manchester to build and maintain walking and cycling infrastructure through the Consolidated Active Travel Fund with £5.1m of funding in 2024-25 and £15.7m in 2025-26. Finally, we are supporting the Mayor’s ambition of integrating rail into the Bee Network with £14m of funding from 2024-25 to 2025-26 to support the Pay-As-You-Go ticketing trial to roll out contactless ticketing on rail in Greater Manchester.

What recent assessment she has made of the value for money of Government funding provided to franchised bus networks.

The government has not provided funding to local authorities specifically to franchise bus networks. However, we have confirmed investment of over £1 billion in 25/26 to support and improve bus services and to keep fares affordable, this includes £712 million for local authorities. Under the Transport Act 2000, franchising authorities must carry out a detailed assessment to ensure that any proposed franchising scheme is feasible, affordable, and deliverable. This robust planning process helps minimise the need for central government intervention. The Department has worked closely with Greater Manchester throughout their franchising process, and we will continue to do so to learn lessons to support other areas who decide to undertake franchising. There are a range of different franchising models that can be used, and the Greater Manchester model is just one.  We want to understand more about how different models of franchising can work for different local areas. Alternative models have been set out in our revised statutory guidance to franchising authorities, and our pilot programmes will further develop practical tools and case studies to help LTAs choose and implement the approach that best fits their local needs. The Government is committed to reducing the cost and complexity of bus franchising. Following the introduction of the Bus Services (No.2) Bill, the Department will refresh franchising guidance to give authorities access to new powers that streamline the process.

How much and what proportion of the Bee Network’s 2025-26 operating budget is funded by (a) the national grant, (b) local contributions, and (c) passenger revenues.

We are supporting Greater Manchester to maintain and improve bus services in the Bee Network with £66.4m of Local Authority Bus Grant funding in 2025-26. The overall operating budget for the Bee Network, including the breakdown between national grant, local contributions, and passenger revenues, is a matter for Greater Manchester Combined Authority.