TRUSTPOLITICS
Written Question·Department for Transport·UIN 92685

Railways: Reform

Tabled: 19 November 2025
Answered: 24 November 2025
Named Day

Question

Mr Richard Holden

Conservative — Basildon and Billericay

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 12 November 2025 to Question 88361 on Railways: Reform, whether either the estimated £200–£400 million set-up and transitional cost range cited in the Impact Assessment or the projected £150 million annual saving from bringing forward state control of rail has been independently validated.

Answer

Keir Mather

These are internal estimates. The assessments of set-up and transitional costs are based on engagement with industry partners, including Network Rail and DfT Operator Limited.

The estimate that public ownership could save taxpayers up to £110 to £150 million annually, once all currently contracted services have transferred, is based on the fixed and performance-based fees currently paid to private sector train operating companies as set out in their National Rail Contracts.