Documents to download

This paper has been written specifically for Members of Parliament and their staff, though others may find it of general interest.

It is a compilation of regularly asked questions about rail-related issues. There is no intended link between articles other than that the topics are often the subject of enquiries by Members, usually on behalf of their constituents.

It covers the following issues:

  • Who runs the railway and how it is structured across the nations of the UK;
  • The Williams Review on the future of rail;
  • Infrastructure schemes such as HS2, Crossrail and Northern Powerhouse Rail;
  • Getting a local rail scheme off the ground and finding funding for a local station;
  • Decarbonising rail travel and tackling noise pollution;
  • The impact Brexit will have on rail;
  • Service reliability and performance – including penalties for poor performance;
  • Making complaints about a rail service and claiming compensation;
  • The rights of passengers with a disability; and
  • The cost of rail travel.

Further details on these issues and more can be found in a suite of Commons Library briefing papers, available on our website.

Documents to download

Related posts

  • The future of rail

    This paper provides an overview of the current rail system, including how it is delivered and how it performed and was financed up until the spring of 2020 when the UK locked down in response to the global coronavirus pandemic. It explains the impact of the pandemic on services and funding and sets out reforms to rail passenger services (franchises) as a result of the pandemic. The final section discusses the Williams Rail Review, initiated in 2018 and yet to report publicly, setting out the emerging conclusions and key questions to be answered.