Member

Including innovation as a function rather than a duty—referring to Amendments 116A and 130—has the benefit of bringing the activity into scope of GBR’s duties, as well as under the ORR’s monitoring clause. This will lead to better outcomes by ensuring that GBR considers key elements such as the public interest and efficiency when promoting innovation and that the ORR can consider and advise on what it does. As I mentioned in a previous group, this is something the railway is already doing. The First of a Kind competition is now in its ninth round of delivery, providing millions of pounds for innovative rail projects to improve the passenger experience, including improving safety on platforms and enhancing passenger safety. Projects from previous winners are already being used across the railways to improve efficiency, safety and reliability. This will continue under GBR, which will be able to include a pipeline of proposed innovation projects in its business plan.