Government races ahead on rail reform

One of the Bills mentioned in the King’s Speech will receive its First Reading in the Commons today, because the Government must beat a deadline just over eight weeks from now. The Passenger Railway Services (Public Ownership) Bill provides for passenger operators to be transferred to the public sector by default instead of being re-offered as contracts to the private sector. The passenger contracts let by the last government are due to expire on various dates between this year and 2027, and the first two come up on 15 September.