Association of British Commuters

We’re calling on MPs and Ministers to support amendments for a democratic passenger organisation in the Railways Bill, which would bring true representation and accountability to Great British Railways (GBR).

Amendments NC24 and NC25 set down the structure of the new organisation, consisting of Regional Passenger and Disabled Persons Committees, a National Passengers Group and National Accessibility Panel. They also establish principles of independence, equality and inclusion, ensuring all passengers and disabled people have a central voice in rail policy.

Tabled by Richard Quigley MP, the amendments were drafted in collaboration with We Own It, Association of British Commuters, Transport for All, Bring Back British Rail, Disabled People Against Cuts and the National Pensioners Convention. They have proven extremely popular with MPs, with 27 already co-sponsoring (full list at the end of this post.)

Please help by emailing your MP and asking them to back NC24 and NC25 (as well as other key amendments for passenger rights and public interest duties 29, 30, 33). The Commons debate and Third Reading of the Railways Bill take place on Wednesday 10th June, the last chance for amendments before it goes to the House of Lords.

Details of the Passenger Committees

Membership: Passengers can join a regional passenger organisation, representing their home area or the area where they usually travel.

Regional Passenger Committees: Each regional organisation elects a passenger committee. These are aligned with regional Disabled Persons Committees, consisting of a majority of disabled people.

National Passengers Group: Consists of representatives from regional committees, holds one third of the seats on GBR’s Board and has powers to advise and supervise GBR, Ministers and the Passenger Watchdog.

National Accessibility Panel: Consists of elected representatives from regional Disabled Persons Committees and acts in an advisory role to the National Passengers Group and GBR Board.

Equality and Inclusion: In addition to a system of disabled persons committees, the amendments require the Secretary of State to take ‘all reasonable steps’ towards the proportionate representation of all minority groups throughout all passenger committees.

The full text of the amendments is available at the end of this post.[1]

Why the government should adopt the amendments:

• No representation or consultation duties in the Railways Bill: the current version of the Bill includes no duties on GBR to consult the public, only the Passenger Watchdog, which also has no duties to consult the public.
• Weakness of the Passenger Watchdog: The new Watchdog is built on the existing Transport Focus, with the government admitting in its cost-impact assessment that the option was chosen because it was the ‘least change’ and least cost (p 64-66). A comparison with the existing legislation shows that there is very little change in Transport Focus’s powers, despite its new responsibilities to set standards and monitor passenger rights and accessibility – causing a serious risk it could be used as a tool of deregulation. Additionally, Clause 36 on the Watchdog’s General Duties gives it an overall duty of cost-efficiency, with no duty for passengers nor any concept of rights or representation.
• Conflicts of interest in the Passenger Watchdog: The weaknesses of the Passenger Watchdog are caused by structural conflicts of interest, because it becomes a quasi-regulator of passenger rights and accessibility, taking on all passenger functions of the ORR as well as sponsorship of the Rail Ombudsman. This means it will have the role of a ‘neutral’ adjudicator, meaning that true passenger representation could only take place in a separate, independent body. For these reasons, amendments NC24 and NC25 would provide legal clarity and coherence, also creating the space to strengthen the Watchdog’s powers to enforce rights.
• Deregulation of disabled people’s representation: The current version of the Bill removes the role of the Disabled Persons Transport Advisory Committee (DPTAC) from rail policy-making, because it is no longer included as an advisor to GBR (as was the case in the Conservative government’s 2024 draft legislation). This means that disabled people’s influence on rail is absent from the Bill, making its consultation standards weaker that the 1985 Transport Act, which established DPTAC.
• The government has already committed to a system of regional and national panels for disabled people: in the Accessibility Roadmap published alongside the Railways Bill (p 57-58). For this commitment to be meaningful, it must be placed in legislation.
• Modern approach to equality and inclusion: Amendments NC24 and NC25 are based on progressive standards of equality and inclusion – for example the principles that disabled people must have their own autonomous committees as well as mainstreamed representation in the passenger groups. The Secretary of State will also have a duty to take ‘all reasonable steps’ towards the proportionate representation of minority groups across the passenger organisation as a whole. This duty would make equality and inclusion a key policy area and influence the entire railway, answering an urgent need to update its culture to modern day expectations.

Please help by emailing your MP and asking them to back NC24 and NC25 (as well as other key amendments for passenger rights and public interest duties 29, 30, 33)

Supporting MPs and organisations:

Tabled by Richard Quigley MP, the passenger representation amendments are co-sponsored by 27 MPs, and supported by a coalition of passenger and disabled people’s organisations.

Supporting MPs include: Dr Simon Opher, Neil Duncan-Jordan, Cat Eccles, Grahame Morris, Chris Hinchliff, Peter Lamb, Ian Byrne, Clive Lewis, Jodie Gosling, Alex Sobel, Julia Buckley, Steve Witherden, John McDonnell, Lee Barron, Jo White, Kim Johnson, Siân Berry, Carla Denyer, Hannah Spencer, Adrian Ramsay, Rachael Maskell, Iqbal Mohamed, Dr Ellie Chowns, Ayoub Khan, John Whitby, Joe Morris, Bell Ribeiro-Addy, Rachael Maskell.

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[1] Full text of amendments NC24 and NC25

National passengers group (Amendment NC25)

(1) The Secretary of State must, by regulations, establish a national passengers group (“the group”), comprising representatives of each regional passenger organisation under section [Regional railway services passenger organisations].

(2) The purposes of the group under subsection (1) are to—

(a) facilitate engagement with regional passenger organisations on national rail proposals,

(b) act as a body that the Secretary of State and GBR must consult on national rail proposals, and

(c) provide oversight and scrutiny to the regulatory work of the Passengers’ Council.

(3) Regulations under this section must provide for the governance of the group, including that members of the group must elect a chair and officers, under arrangements made by the Secretary of State.

(4) The Secretary of State must take all reasonable steps to ensure that officers elected under subsection (3) include a proportionate representation of groups protected under the Equality Act 2010.

(5) The Secretary of State must assess and publish an annual report on any steps taken under subsection (4).

(6) Any national board established to govern or oversee Great British Railways must comprise at least one-third representatives of this national passenger organisation, including a proportionate representation of disabled passengers.

(7) Any representative of the group to which subsection (6) applies—

(a) must be elected to that post by a basic majority of members of the group, and

(b) may vote on any decision made by that board.

(8) Regulations under this section must create a National Accessibility Panel as part of the national passengers’ organisation, with a majority of disabled people, to serve in an expert advisory and supervisory capacity to the national passengers group and the national GBR board.

(9) Regulations under this section are subject to the affirmative procedure.”

Regional railway services passenger organisations (Amendment NC24)

(1) The Secretary of State must, by regulations, establish a passenger organisation for each region in which Great British Railways operates (“GBR regions”).

(2) Any user of railway services who is resident in, or who regularly uses services within, a region may join the regional passenger organisation established under subsection (1) for that region.

(3) The purpose of each regional passenger organisation is to represent passenger interests, including representation of passengers’ expertise to management boards of GBR regions.

(4) Regulations under this section must provide for the governance of each regional passenger organisation, including that members of each organisation must elect a chair and officers, under arrangements made by the Secretary of State.

(5) The Secretary of State must take all reasonable steps to ensure that officers elected under subsection (4) include a proportionate representation of groups protected under the Equality Act 2010.

(6) The Secretary of State must assess and publish an annual report on any steps taken under subsection (5).

(7) No less than one-third of any regional board established to govern or oversee Great British Railways must comprise representatives of regional passenger organisations, including a proportionate representation of disabled passengers.

(8) Any representative to which subsection (7) applies—

(a) must be elected to that post by a basic majority of members of the organisation, and

(b) may vote on any decision made by that board.

(9) Regulations under this section must create a disabled people’s committee as part of each regional passenger organisation, with a majority of disabled people, to serve in an expert advisory and supervisory capacity to the regional passengers organisation and the GBR regions.

(10) Regulations under this section are subject to the affirmative procedure.”