Rail reform presents a once-in-a-generation opportunity to create a unified, intelligent railway. The Railways Bill sets the foundation for Great British Railways, but structural change alone will not deliver. Success depends on unifying operations, data and technology, balancing competition, and empowering local decision-making. Without clear regulations and integrated systems, GBR risks inheriting the inefficiencies and fragmentation it was designed to resolve. The coming years will test political and operational resolve.
With the Railways Bill introduced to Parliament on 5 November 2025, Great British Railways (GBR) is fast taking shape as the single, accountable public body intended to bring order to a system that has been fragmented for decades.
The Government’s fare freeze reinforces the centrality of rail to national mobility and economic resilience. And while the creation of GBR is necessary, it will not be sufficient. The test of this reform will be whether the railway can operate as one integrated system — organisationally and digitally — rather than through structural change alone.
Unification with Purpose
As GBR establishes itself as the single "directing mind," bringing together responsibilities that are currently spread across multiple organisations, including Network Rail, train operating companies (TOCs), and the Department for Transport (DfT), its mandate is to simplify the system and restore accountability. Decades of divided responsibilities has resulted in blurred decision-making, duplicated effort, and a poor passenger experience.
The new model gives GBR responsibility for infrastructure, fares, timetables, and contracts with operators through Passenger Service Contracts (PSCs; contracts that define terms under which private companies operate passenger rail services on behalf of the government).
If implemented with clarity and discipline, this could finally provide:
A consistent experience for passengers:
One accountable body, simpler ticketing, and a clearer route to resolution.
Better value for taxpayers:
Aligned operational and commercial planning, reducing duplication and waste.
A stronger future for freight:
A statutory duty to promote rail freight, recognising its economic and environmental importance.
The direction is right. The complexity lies in how GBR exercises this authority while balancing competition, devolution, and innovation.
1. Competition: Leadership and Fairness Must Co-exist
GBR will operate in a competitive environment designed for multiple operators rather than a single integrated authority. Freight and open-access operators will expect assurance that GBR’s system leadership does not disadvantage their ability to grow.
This balance is delicate.
If GBR becomes overly cautious about competitive sensitivities, it risks hesitating on decisions that require a system-wide view. But if it over-exercises its new authority, it could create unintended distortions that reduce innovation and market diversity.
The role of the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) as an appeals body remains important, but trust cannot rely on ad hoc arbitration. Transparent processes for access, pricing, prioritisation and performance need to be embedded into GBR’s operating model from day one.
2. Devolution: Empower Local Leaders, Maintain National Coherence
The Bill commits to deeper collaboration with Mayoral Combined Authorities (MCAs) and devolved administrations — and it must. Local networks have different needs, peak patterns, and economic drivers than intercity corridors, and local leaders are increasingly ambitious in aligning rail with growth and regeneration.
Examples of this ambition are already visible:
- Liverpool City Region has long argued for deeper rail devolution. Operating under a “trailblazer” Memorandum of Understanding with DfT, signed by Mayor Steve Rotheram in 2023, the region is exploring options to take back control of local rail infrastructure. The MoU demonstrates how devolution can unlock more integrated, locally responsive networks — from new stations to rapid transit links to major connectivity upgrades — but only if GBR and local leaders share real decision-making authority.
- Greater Manchester is advancing the Bee Network, aiming for a fully integrated transport system by 2030. Bringing commuter rail into this network requires station modernisation, tram-train capability, and unified ticketing and fares — all of which require clear co-decision with GBR.
These ambitions are not optional extras; they are central to the role rail plays in local economic strategy.
The challenge is defining where national consistency ends and local flexibility begins. Clear statutory roles, co-managed governance, and performance-based devolution models can help avoid duplication, protect freight access, and empower local decision-making where it delivers the most value.
3. Regulation: Where Reform Will Ultimately Succeed or Fail
Although the Bill establishes GBR, much of the real redesign of the railway will be delivered through secondary regulation. This includes access rules, PSC structures, innovation safeguards, and the Periodic Review governing GBR’s long-term financial framework.
This level of deferred detail is creating understandable uncertainty across the sector. Investment decisions, technology upgrades, and long-term planning depend on clarity. GBR and the Department for Transport must prioritise timely, transparent guidance. The railway has been in a holding pattern for too long.
4. Technology and System Integration: The Real Transformation
The system cannot be unified structurally while remaining fragmented digitally. The UK railway remains constrained by legacy, proprietary systems, inconsistent data standards, and limited real-time insight.
Three priorities stand out:
Address legacy technology debt:
Modernisation must be treated as essential infrastructure investment, not discretionary spend.
Create a genuinely shared data environment:
Interoperability across infrastructure managers, operators and rolling-stock owners is fundamental to operational performance and customer experience.
Modernise safety and innovation pathways:
AI and automation can improve reliability and safety, but only with clear, trusted frameworks for validation and deployment.
GBRX, GBR’s innovation arm, is approaching this challenge with the right intent. Managing Director Toufic Machnouk characterises the issue not as a lack of ideas but a system designed to resist adoption. Dr. Laura Gilbert CBE, strategic advisor to the GBRX AI Board, captures the practical perspective “Citizens don’t experience policy; they experience services. AI should make those journeys faster, clearer, and fairer — not more complicated”.
The digital blueprint emerging from the GBRX AI Board and the Transport AI Action Plan is promising. Execution at pace is now essential.
A Necessary Reform — But Precision Will Decide Its Success
GBR represents a generational opportunity to fix the structural and technical fragmentation that has hampered the railway for decades. But design and delivery must now move in lockstep.
The next phase requires:
- Clear regulatory detail delivered without delay
- Transparent competition safeguards
- Coherent, statutory models of local and national partnership
- A commitment to full digital integration across the system
Reform is not about creating a new organisation. It is about enabling the railway to function as a unified, intelligent system capable of meeting the mobility demands of the next two hundred years.
Cognizant looks forward to working with the sector to help deliver that future.
