Former Railtrack chief executive Gerald Corbett has warned that the government’s plans for Great British Railways will leave the industry’s ‘directing mind’ at risk of interference by ministers. Mr Corbett was speaking as he launched his new book ‘When something happens ? Inside Railtrack: a CEO shares his story for the first time’, in which he recollects his years at Railtrack.

The Go-op Co-operative, which secured regulatory approval a year ago to run the first rail service owned by passengers, has warned that the benefits to several West Country towns are in jeopardy because of ‘a hostile investment environment’ which is partly caused by wider railway reforms, including the creation of Great British Railways. It has also claimed that an impression of ‘government hostility’ to future open access is affecting its chances, although it has gained the support of the DfT.