Morning, Friday, 22nd January 2027
Online
This conference will examine next steps for Britain's rail network, as reform moves from legislation towards implementation. Areas for discussion include the establishment of Great British Railways and the transition of passenger services into public ownership, including issues around governance, accountability, passenger services and fares. The agenda will also assess ways forward for access, competition, freight growth and network capacity, investment in infrastructure and rolling stock, and priorities for decarbonisation, resilience and modernisation.
It will bring together stakeholders with policymakers to consider the next stages of rail reform as the Railways Bill completes the final stages in its passage through Parliament, with GBR expected to be established in 2027. With passenger services and infrastructure due to come together within the new structure, alongside revised arrangements for regulation and passenger representation, delegates will discuss how responsibilities can best work in practice, where accountability for performance and spending should sit, and what will be needed for the proposed arrangements for scrutiny and redress to provide sufficient confidence for passengers and other users of the network.
The practical experience of passenger services transferring into public ownership will be examined, ahead of their eventual integration with infrastructure functions in GBR. Delegates will assess what the transition is beginning to indicate for operational performance and customer service, the approach to management of organisational and workforce change, and the practical requirements for bringing together functions currently spread across government, Network Rail and operators.
Further discussion will focus on longer-term use and development of the railway, and the funding choices involved, following publication in September 2026 of the proposed structure and strategic direction for the Government's Long-Term Rail Strategy. Delegates will consider the translation of the strategy's objectives into decisions on capacity, services and investment, including the allocation of constrained capacity between passenger, open access and freight services, and implications of ambitions for freight growth.
The conference will also consider forthcoming investment plans in terms of the degree of clarity they provide on timing, funding and future workload needed to support planning and investment across the industry and supply chain, as well as how rolling stock and infrastructure planning might be better coordinated. The sequencing and affordability of major projects will be assessed, looking at workforce and skills requirements, and the choices involved in directing investment across network renewal, decarbonisation, digital technology and resilience.
Rail reform in practice - governance, accountability & passenger outcomes
The conference will examine the practical arrangements for establishing GBR, disucssing how the emerging accountability framework is likely to work for passengers and local communities, the respective responsibilities of government, regulators and operators, and the safeguards and scrutiny needed as operational and strategic responsibilities are brought together
Areas for discussion include:
- rail reform: implementation of the Railways Bill - establishing GBR - bringing passenger operations and infrastructure functions together - transition arrangements and organisational readiness
- accountability:
- proposed GBR licence and accountability framework - responsibilities of government, GBR and ORR, and the scope of the Secretary of State's power of direction over GBR
- extent of ORR's monitoring, enforcement and intervention role within the new framework
- public ownership: experience from transferred services - preparations for remaining transfers - implications for operational integration, workforce change and service performance
- passenger outcomes: reliability, punctuality and disruption - whether recent reductions in cancellations are being sustained - passenger information and accessibility
- passenger voice:
- development of the new Passenger Watchdog - scrutiny of operators and GBR - complaints handling, consumer protection and redress
- relationship with ORR's regulatory enforcement under the planned memorandum of understanding
- devolution & local partnerships:
- role of mayoral strategic authorities and the Scottish and Welsh Governments in the new structure
- local influence over services and investment within a national network - alignment with regional transport priorities
- long-term direction: development of the Long-Term Rail Strategy - how it will relate to business planning, funding periods and spending reviews - clarity on the trade-offs ahead
Effective use of the network - access, competition, freight & retail
A further focus will be the use of network capacity once GBR takes key decisions on access, timetabling and charges while also operating most passenger services. Attendees will consider proposed safeguards around access and charging, transparency in decision-making, the future place of open access and freight operators, and implications for competition, investment and effective use of constrained capacity.
Areas for discussion include:
- network access:
- consultation on GBR's Access and Use Policy, capacity plan and model access contracts
- criteria for allocating constrained capacity between passenger, freight and open-access services - transparency and predictability in decision-making
- independent appeal:
- ORR's future role in reviewing access, capacity and charging decisions, including the end of ORR approval for track access contracts
- whether appeals decided on judicial review principles will offer freight and open access operators effective redress
- open access:
- future place of privately operated passenger services - access rights, available capacity and treatment of revenue abstraction
- implications for competition, connectivity and passenger choice
- freight growth: new target of at least 40% growth by 2040 - implications for GBR's access and investment decisions - capacity and terminal requirements - investment in strategic freight corridors
- capacity: timetable planning and use of existing capacity - investment needed to address constraints, including on the West Coast Main Line
- charging: future access charges and performance arrangements - how costs will be shared between GBR and non-GBR operators - implications for operators and investment decisions
- fares & retail:
- responsibilities for fares, ticketing and industry retail systems - approach to regulated fares once the freeze in England ends in March 2027
- whether the proposed retail code of practice can support a fair and open retail market where GBR will also be a retailer
- expansion of pay-as-you-go and digital ticketing - the future role of stations within an integrated transport network
Moving from strategy to delivery - infrastructure, funding & rolling stock
The agenda will assess the investment framework needed to maintain and develop the network, following publication of the Government's Rolling Stock and Infrastructure Strategy in September 2026, including proposals for planning trains, infrastructure, depots and maintenance as one systeem, with GBR acting as a national customer. Questions around volumes, timescales, funding and procurement will be considered, in light of the planned forthcoming Fleet and Infrastructure Plan.
Areas for discussion include:
- major projects:
- progress and sequencing across the TransPennine Route Upgrade, East West Rail, Midlands Rail Hub, HS2 and Northern Powerhouse Rail
- implications for connectivity and network capacity - lessons from HS2's revised cost and schedule estimates
- investment & funding:
- relationship between five-year infrastructure settlements, annual funding for passenger services and long-term objectives - moving from strategic priorities to funded programmes
- visibility for delivery bodies, suppliers and investors, and the risk of stop-start workloads
- rolling stock: fleet renewal and refurbishment - development of fleet families and more repeatable procurement - GBR's role as fleet manager - accessibility and passenger requirements
- ownership & finance:
- circumstances for public ownership, leasing and other financing arrangements - whole-life value - implications for manufacturers, leasing companies and investors
- control of depots and the future of manufacturer-led maintenance
- integrated planning: coordinating fleet requirements with electrification, power supply, signalling, depots and maintenance - aligning infrastructure availability with introduction of new trains
- supply chain: manufacturing and delivery capability - confidence to invest in facilities, skills and innovation - engagement with suppliers as GBR takes on a more active role
Renewing & modernising the network - decarbonisation, resilience, skills & technology
Further sessions will consider the longer-term capability of the railway as ageing assets are renewed and new technologies are introduced. With the regulator warning that lower renewals volumes in the coming years will require closer attention to maintenance if performance is to be protected, discussion will look at how decarbonisation and digitalisation can be taken forward within constrained budgets, alongside workforce needs for delivery.
Areas for discussion include:
- decarbonisation: approach to traction and supporting infrastructure - targeted electrification and battery-electric operation - role of diesel fleets during the transition - case for wider electrification
- digital railway: signalling renewal and ETCS - pace and affordability of deployment - implications for performance and network capacity
- asset management:
- maintenance and renewal of ageing infrastructure - implications of lower renewals volumes
- use of data and technology for condition-based and predictive maintenance - whole-life approaches to investment
- resilience: preparedness for extreme weather and climate impacts - adaptation of infrastructure and operating practice - maintaining services during disruption
- safety: learning from incidents, collisions and emerging risks - implications for operating practice, asset management and infrastructure planning
- workforce: recruitment and retention - skills for infrastructure, rolling stock, electrification and digital systems - training and career pathways
- innovation: routes from development and testing to adoption across the railway - procurement and interoperability - opportunities for suppliers and new technologies
All delegates will be able to contribute to the output of the conference, which will be shared with parliamentary, ministerial, departmental and regulatory offices, and more widely. This includes the full proceedings and additional articles submitted by delegates. As well as key stakeholders, those already due to attend include parliamentary pass-holders from the House of Commons; and officials from the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade; Department for Transport; HM Revenue and Customs; Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government; National Wealth Fund; Office of Rail and Road; Planning Inspectorate; and The Scottish Government.
