Railways Act 2005

Railways Act 2005 ^[1]

Parliament of the United Kingdom
Long title	An Act to amend the law relating to the provision and regulation of railway services; and for connected purposes.
Citation	2005 c. 14
Territorial extent	England and Wales and, except for sections 13 and 39 and 52, Scotland [2]
Dates
Royal assent	7 April 2005
Status: Amended
Text of statute as originally enacted
Revised text of statute as amended

The Railways Act 2005 (c. 14) is an act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom concerning the regulatory structure for railways in the United Kingdom.

Overview

The bill was introduced and published on 25 November 2004 and received royal assent on 7 April 2005. The act made certain reforms, principally:

• Abolished the Strategic Rail Authority (SRA), transferring some of its functions to the Secretary of State, some (consumer protection ones) to the Office of Rail Regulation, and some to the Scottish Government and some to the Mayor of London. ^{[3] [4]}
• Transferred certain responsibilities from the Health and Safety Executive to the Office of Rail Regulation. ^[4]
• Reduced the number of franchises. ^[4]
• Reduced the financial jurisdiction of the Office of Rail Regulation, imposing a Treasury-determined cap on its financial powers and requiring the Secretary of State for Transport to specify what he wants in return for the public subsidy which goes into the railway industry.
• Established the Rail Passengers Council (later known as Passenger Focus). ^[5]
• Set up a new regime for the closure of railway facilities and services.

Reception

The act was described alongside the Transport (Wales) Act 2006 as the largest transfer of powers to the Assembly between 1999 and 2007 in Contemporary Wales . ^[6]

References

1. The citation of this Act by this short title is authorised by section 60(1) of this Act.
2. The Railways Act 2005, sections 60(5) and (6)
3. "BRITAIN'S RAILWAY STATIONS 'UNFIT FOR 21st CENTURY'". Local Government Chronicle. 31 August 2025. Archived from the original on 31 August 2025. Retrieved 31 August 2025.
4. "Ministers tighten grip on railways". BBC News. 15 July 2004. Archived from the original on 7 April 2015. Retrieved 31 August 2025.
5. "NEW CHAIR APPOINTED TO THE RAIL PASSENGERS COUNCIL". Local Government Chronicle . 28 September 2005. Archived from the original on 31 August 2025. Retrieved 31 August 2025.
6. Bradbury, Jonathan; Stafford, Ian (1 March 2010). "The effectiveness of legislative mechanisms for the devolution of powers in the UK: the case of transport devolution to Wales". Public Money & Management. 30 (2): 97–102. doi:10.1080/09540961003665511. ISSN   0954-0962.

Further reading

• "Railways Act 2005". Current Law Statutes 2005. Sweet & Maxwell. London. W Green. 2005. Volume 1. Chapter 14. pp 14-1 to 14-119.

External links

Media related to Railways Act 2005 at Wikimedia Commons

• The Railways Act 2005, as amended from the National Archives.
• The Railways Act 2005, as originally enacted from the National Archives.
• Explanatory notes to the Railways Act 2005.
• Summary of key points