Member

To be clear, I am not saying that open access operators cannot provide benefits for passengers: they absolutely can. That is why we see the value of open access operators and why there is a place for them on the railway. If any operator—devolved, open access or GBR—offers the best choice for the passenger and public, according to the duties, they should be granted access. That is not the same as pursuing competition for competition’s sake, regardless of the final product that it achieves. Where open access delivers the best use of network capacity, those services should be planned as a coherent part of the overall service pattern on the relevant route, not bolted on as an afterthought or in conflict with other services.