Rail Privatisation (Hansard, 19 November 1992)

§ Mr. Hinchliffe
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how he will ensure that a unified network of rail services is maintained for passengers and freight after privatisation.

§ Mr. Freeman
The Government proposals are set out in "New Opportunities for the Railways", Cm 2012. Railtrack will provide and control the track network. Train services will be provided by private sector operators, including franchisees meeting standards set by a new franchising authority.

§ Mr. Hinchliffe
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will take steps to regulate rail fare rises and keep them within inflation after privatisation.

§ Mr. Freeman
Where franchised rail services enjoy significant market power, fares will be controlled through the franchise contracts. In addition, the regulator will be300W able to control fares on non-franchised services to protect abuse of monopoly power. Detailed arrangements will be decided later, taking account of the circumstances of individual services: the first franchises will not be let until 1994.

§ Mr. Hinchliffe
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make it his policy that tickets for rail services will continue to be acceptable across the network after privatisation.

§ Mr. Freeman
We have given a clear commitment to preserve through-ticketing. It will be for operators to negotiate acceptance of each other's tickets, to the extent that the regulator does not decide to impose such a requirement.

§ Mr. Hinchliffe
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will preserve railcards, travelcards, and discount and concessionary fares in his plans for the railway network after privatisation.

§ Mr. Freeman
The offer of discounted ticketing arrangements will be a matter for the operator's judgment, as it is now for BR. In a competitive environment there will be every incentive for operators to seek to attract custom and maximise revenue by such measures. The regulator will have powers to intervene if necessary to ensure that benefits to passengers are maintained.

§ Mr. Hinchliffe
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will take steps to ensure rail services with through and connecting trains after privatisation.

§ Mr. Freeman
We expect the involvement of the private sector to ensure a better response to passenger demand for connecting and through services. Railtrack, as the track authority, will be responsible for the overall planning and operation of the timetable, in close consultation with operators and with oversight by the regulator.

§ Mr. Hinchliffe
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how he will ensure continued comprehensive timetable and passenger information for the entire railway network after privatisation.

§ Mr. Freeman
It will be in the commercial interests of operators to publicise their services and produce timetable information for passengers. If there is any doubt about the extent to which adequate information will be available, the rail regulator will have powers to impose appropriate requirements.

§ Mr. Hinchliffe
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how he will maintain customer involvement in changes and improvements to rail services after privatisation.

§ Mr. Freeman
The Government are well aware of the benefits of the current arrangements and are clear that effective consumer representation needs to be maintained. I have discussed our privatisation proposals with the Central Transport Consultative Committee on a number of occasions and have taken note of its initial views. We intend to publish a document on consumer representation by the end of the year.