DERBY WINS COMPETITION TO BE GBR HEADQUARTERS
WITH the Great British Railways project given Government permission to proceed, a mix of primary and secondary legislation is now required to create the public body, making it the licence holder (taking over from Network Rail) and removing franchising authority from the Department for Transport. “Until primary legislation has been achieved nothing can be formalised,”said Network Rail chief executive and GBR transition team lead Andrew Haines. “But it can be achieved before the next general election as the legislation has been slimmed down… the gap between the main political parties appears small… [and] no real issues are envisaged. “It is anticipated that aiming for Royal Assent in autumn 2024, the parliamentary process would need to start this autumn. Once the second reading has been completed, GBR can begin working in shadow mode to reflect the Bill’s contents, enabling a swift activation after assent is given.”