**An Act reforming the current railway system replacing the current inefficient, fragmented system of operation.** *BE IT ENACTED by The Queen's most Excellent Majesty, by and with the advice and consent of the Commons in this present Parliament assembled, in accordance with the provisions of the Parliament Acts 1911 and 1949, and by the authority of the same, as follows:-* **0: Key Organisations** (1) The Department for Transport (DfT) who will provide funds and mange DOR. (2) Directly Operated Railways (DOR) who will operate the trains and infrastructure (the latter being done by network rail which will be part of DOR) (3) The Office of Rail Regulation (ORR) who will regulate the railway system scrutinising decisions made by DOR or the DfT. (4) Passenger Transport Executives (PTEs) and Transport Bodies who will work in partnership with DOR in creating five year plans and a network suited to their local areas. **1: Train Operation** (1) Franchises are to operated by Department for Transport owned Directly Operated Railways (DOR) upon the date their contract ends. (2) For each DOR operated franchise, DOR and network rail must identify a clear five year plan (ideally covering DORs objectives for each control period) so the railway has a long term future and is able to focus on big projects. (3) Any profits the DOR network makes are reinvested in partnership with network rail to improve the network. (4) Passenger operation is to be divided into clear groups which contain sub brands. These groups would be InterCity (sub brands East Coast, West Coast / High Speed, Great Western, Cross Country, East Anglia and Midland) Regional Railways (Western, Anglia, Midlands, Wales, Northern and ScotRail), Network SouthEast (South Western, South Eastern, LTS, Thames Valley, Chiltern, Anglia, Thameslink, South London Metro and North London) and Rail Freight (InterModal and Nuclear) **2: Rolling Stock** (1) Rolling Stock assets which are currently owned by private ROSCOs is to continue to be leased by DOR from them until the end of the rolling stock's lives. (2) Any new trains should be purchased in partnership with DOR and the DfT or leased off the rolling stock manufacturer. (3) Rolling stock manufacturers and development companies should be encouraged to base themselves in the UK. (4) By 2025 all passenger trains in the UK must have bogies or an ORR verified wheel and axle set. **3: Network Rail** (1) Network Rail and DOR merge creating a single entity (still titled DOR) however network rail will remain as the infrastructure sub brand. (2) Track Access Charges for passenger trains should be scrapped. An emissions charge based on weight load and locomotive should be introduced for freight trains. (3) The network rail sub brand of DOR should have the key objective to electrify the entire mainline network on the UK mainland with 25kV AC OverHead Line Electrification (OHLE). (4) Southern region 750 DC third rail should be progressively replaced by modern 25kVAC OHLE in phases identified in the five year plans. **4: Freight** (1) Freight should remain in the private sector however key flows such as nuclear material and former 'Freightliner' trains should be operated by DOR. (2) The DfT should give Freight Operating Companies (FOCs) incentives to operate more electric freight and use electric locomotives under the wires in place of diesel locomotives. (3) The DfT should give the freight sector financial incentives to operate more rail freight and less road freight. (4) The freight sector must work closer with the European market to utilise the Channel Tunnel connection to transport more international freight reducing air miles. **5: Fares** (1) Fares shouldn't rise higher than inflation except unless the extra money is being used to fund improvements such as electrification, re-signalling or new trains. Any rises in fares above inflation must be moderated by the ORR. (2) Fares should be worked out with local Passenger Transport Executives and Authorities in the five year plans to give the passenger a clear view of what their journey will cost. (3) A national ITSO based smart card scheme should be implemented to allow a simpler fare structure and easier methods for people to pay. (4) Money generated by fares should be used for the running and benefit of the railway and nothing else. **6: Commencement, Short Title and Extent** (1) This Act may be cited as the Railway Reform Bill 2014. (2) This bill shall extend to the United Kingdom (3) Shall come into force gradually as each rail franchise expires starting from the 01/01/2015