One
of
the
Bills


mentioned
in
the
King’s
Speech
will
receive
its
First
Reading
in
the
Commons
today,
because
the
Government
must
beat
a
deadline
just
over
eight
weeks
from
now.

The
Passenger
Railway
Services
(Public
Ownership)
Bill
provides
for
passenger
operators
to
be
transferred
to
the
public
sector
by
default
instead
of
being
re-offered
as
contracts
to
the
private
sector.

There
are
ten
passenger
operators
still
in
the
private
sector,
and
the
government
intends
to
renationalise
each
one
when
the
contract
expires
or
reaches
a
‘break
point’.
It
has
also
warned
that
it
could
terminate
agreements
early
if
there
is
a
breach
of
contract.

The
passenger
contracts
let
by
the
last
government
are
due
to
expire
on
various
dates
between
this
year
and
2027,
and
the
first
two
come
up
on
15
September. 

Both
Greater
Anglia,
which
is
owned
by
UK
Transport
Group
and
Mitsui,
and
West
Midlands
Trains,
owned
by
UK
Transport
Group
Limited
and
JREM
Train,
reach
their
‘core
expiry
dates’
then,
when
the
contracts
can
be
terminated
without
penalty.

The
Bill
receiving
its
First
Reading
today
needs
to
be
law
before
15
September,
which
is
why
it
has
been
given
priority
in
the
Parliamentary
timetable.
The
more
complicated
Passenger
Railway
Services
(Public
Ownership)
Bill,
which
establishes
Great
British
Railways,
will
need
more
Parliamentary
time.

There
will
then
be
a
breather,
because
the
next
two
contracts
to
expire,
Chiltern
Railways
and
Govia
Thameslink
Railway,
do
not
reach
their
break
points
until
1
April
next
year.

(The
database
of
contracts
on

Railnews
Business
has
been
updated
since
the
King’s
Speech
to
include
all 
forthcoming
expiry
dates,
as
shown
in
the
contract
documents.)