Rail reform, Great British Railways, and supplier assurance
Rail reform is a government led programme focused on changing how Britain’s railway is organised, governed, and overseen. Its aim is to simplify the current system, improve accountability, and create clearer leadership for the rail network. Rather than being a single change, rail reform is a long term programme. One that will develop over several years.
RISQS operates in this evolving landscape. It continues to support supplier assurance and visibility as the industry moves towards greater consistency and integration.
What is rail reform?
Rail reform refers to a broad transformation of the rail industry. This includes changes to how the railway is managed and coordinated. Also, the creation of new organisational structures and clearer roles and responsibilities across the sector.
It is not limited to legislation or the creation of a single new body. Instead, rail reform brings together policy, law, governance, and implementation into a single direction of travel for the railway. While government led, it is not simply nationalisation. It is a move towards clearer accountability and system wide coordination.
Great British Railways
As part of rail reform, the government plans to establish Great British Railways (GBR) as the future ‘guiding mind’ of the railway. GBR is expected to bring together strategic oversight of the rail network. This will help to simplify an industry currently split across multiple organisations.
GBR does not yet formally exist. Current planning suggests that an initial form of the organisation could begin to emerge from April 2027, subject to legislation being passed.
The Railways Bill
The Railways Bill provides the legal framework needed to enable rail reform. The Bill establishes the foundations required to create Great British Railways and implement changes consistently and lawfully across the industry. It is expected to receive Royal Assent by the end of 2026.
What does rail reform mean for RISQS and supplier assurance?
The key objectives of rail reform is greater consistency, reduced duplication, and clearer national expectations. These principles align closely with the role of supplier qualification and assurance within rail procurement.
Network Rail already uses RISQS as a qualification mechanism under the Procurement Act 2023. It supports upfront assessment, ongoing visibility of supplier capability, and reduced repetition of qualification activity. This approach reflects the direction of rail reform. Assurance will continue to be established early and maintained throughout delivery.
As reform progresses, robust supplier assurance remains essential. Particularly, that is, for safety critical activities. Buyers retain accountability for supplier selection. Suppliers continue to need to demonstrate compliance, capability, and readiness to operate within a changing rail environment. Maintaining an accurate and compliant RISQS profile remains an important part of supplier visibility within the GB rail market.