§ Lord Mountevansasked Her Majesty's Government:
When open access for operators of new services will come into effect following the enactment of the Railways Bill.
The Earl of CaithnessIt is intended that open access—the opportunity for new operators to run services on the rail network—will start in April 1994, the proposed vesting date for Railtrack. We have already announced that there will be restrictions placed on open access, to the extent necessary to allow the successful transfer of British Rail's passenger services to the private sector. Guidance on the restrictions required for each franchise will be given when invitations to tender are issued. If open access operators apply for train paths in advance of invitations to tender for the franchise concerned, they will be informed then of the terms of competition which will apply.