Railways Act 2005

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.
• Transferred certain responsibilities from the Health and Safety Executive to the Office of Rail Regulation.
• Reduced the number of franchises.
• 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).
• 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.

Section 60 - Short title, commencement and extent

The following orders have been made under this section:

• The Railways Act 2005 (Commencement No. 1) Order 2005 (S.I. 2005/1444 (C. 64))
• The Railways Act 2005 (Commencement No. 2) Order 2005 (S.I. 2005/1909 (C. 82))
• The Railways Act 2005 (Commencement No. 3) Order 2005 (S.I. 2005/2252 (C. 94))
• The Railways Act 2005 (Commencement No. 4) Order 2005 (S.I. 2005/2812 (C. 117))
• The Railways Act 2005 (Commencement No. 5) Order 2006 (S.I. 2006/266 (C. 7))
• The Railways Act 2005 (Commencement No. 6) Order 2006 (S.I. 2006/1951 (C. 65))
• The Railways Act 2005 (Commencement No. 7, Transitional and Saving Provisions) Order 2006 (S.I. 2006/2911 (C. 102))
• The Railways Act 2005 (Commencement No. 8) Order 2007 (S.I. 2007/62 (C. 2))
• The Railways Act 2005 (Commencement No. 9) Order 2007 (S.I. 2007/1993 (C. 74))

Notes

References

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

• Explanatory notes to the Railways Act 2005.
• Summary of key points