Written question asked by Lord Berkeley (Labour), in the House of Lords. It was answered by Earl Attlee (Conservative) on Monday, 1 November 2010.

Railways: Vertical Integration

Question: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how they will ensure the protection of the interests of national passenger and freight operators in respect of timetabling, capacity allocation, control of the network operation, co-ordination of possessions, charging for access and licensing in any new railway structure involving vertical integration; and whether any new structure will comply with European and United Kingdom legislation.

Answer: Sir Roy McNulty is in the process of leading a study into the value for money of the rail industry, which is examining whether current industry incentive structures and processes need to be changed to drive efficiencies. This aligns with the Government's own work on ensuring that we have an accountable and sustainable railway. I am happy to assure the noble Lord that we will ensure that any reforms which emerge from this process are compatible with European legislation requiring a fair and open system for allocating access to the network, including access for freight train operators.

Secondary information