The launch of a consultation into the shape of the future ‘directing mind’ Great British Railways is promised today by the Department for Transport.

GBR will need a change in the law to take over from Network Rail and take charge of most passenger train services. Renationalisation of the last ten former franchises starts in May, when the South Western Railway contract will be terminated, and that will be followed by c2c in July and Greater Anglia this autumn. The others are set to end in 2026 and 2027.

A brief law making public ownership of passenger operators the default rather than the last resort was passed in November, and this is being used to terminate the existing contracts until Great British Railways can take over from its future headquarters in Derby.

The DfT says it will be unveiling plans today for the rail reform bill which will set up GBR. The reforms also include the creation of a ‘powerful passenger watchdog’.

Transport secretary Heidi Alexander said: ‘Passengers have put up with broken railways for far too long. This landmark reform will sweep away decades of failure, creating a Great British Railways passengers can rely on.

‘We’re giving passengers a powerful voice with a new watchdog dedicated to addressing their biggest concerns, building railways people can trust, improving our services and boosting the economy in the process – the priority in our Plan for Change.’

Do you have a comment on this story? Please click here  to send an email to Platform at Railnews.

Moderated comments will be published on this site, and may also be used in the next print edition.