The Government has set out a proposed policy for the design of the new Great British Railways (GBR) licence.

A policy paper published by the Department for Transport (DfT) outlines the developing structure, scope, and illustrative content areas for the licence, and how it fits into the wider GBR accountability framework.

The proposition includes conditions in areas including consumer experience, stakeholder engagement, long-term asset stewardship, and environmental matters. The paper states that taken together, ‘the proposed licence conditions promote fairness, transparency and accountability, supporting GBR’s role as a responsible and accountable steward of the railway.’

DfT also states that the paper’s proposals do not represent a final position, adding that further policy development and stakeholder engagement will take place ahead of a planned consultation on a full draft GBR licence later in the year.

You can read the paper here.

GBR is being created via the Railways Bill, which was reintroduced to the House of Commons earlier this month. Report stage and the bill’s third reading are scheduled to take place on June 3. You can track the progress of the bill via its House of Commons Library page, which has recently been updated here.