The government has refused to amend the Railways Bill to clarify the relative powers of the transport secretary and Great British Railways.

The Commons Transport Committee had said that the proposed law should be changed to iron out ‘potential tension’ between the DfT and GBR.

In its response to the Committee, the government said: ‘We agree with the Committee that any Secretary of State’s use of directions should never become a routine step – it is a responsive tool for necessary course correction, to be used proportionally and where there is strong justification.

‘Whilst we expect this power will be rarely used, it is necessary in instances of serious operational failure or unforeseen crises... However, the Government disagrees that amending the Bill is necessary to achieve this.’

On the other hand, the Government has accepted that it ‘recognises the value in providing further clarity to Parliament and stakeholders in the run up to GBR establishment’ and that it is ‘happy to commit to publishing a document this Spring outlining key documents and target dates’.

The Committee had also called for the Bill to include a duty on the transport secretary to set a ‘passenger journey growth target’.

The government has agreed about the importance of increasing passenger numbers but did not accept that ‘including a passenger growth duty is the only way to ensure this’.

Transport Committee chair Ruth Cadbury said: ‘In our scrutiny of the Railways Bill, the Transport Committee identified a host of key documents that were yet to be published and we called on Ministers to clearly set out the outstanding pieces of the puzzle. I’m pleased that the Government has now agreed to do just that and the Committee therefore looks forward to getting further clarity about the plans in the next few weeks.

‘In response to some of our other recommendations, the Government argued on a number of fronts that it would not be necessary to amend the Railways Bill to achieve the outcomes we are looking for: from avoiding political micromanagement, to growing passenger numbers, and ensuring representation for disabled passengers.

‘It is useful to have the Government’s intentions on the record, but intentions can change and future ministers may not see things the same way. We think changes to the Bill could help ensure that Great British Railways is set up to deliver for passengers well into the future.’

Railway Industry Association chief executive Darren Caplan said: ‘The Railway Industry Association and our members will welcome the Government’s commitment to provide clarity and further details to the industry in the run up to the establishment of Great British Railways, in autumn 2027.

‘However, we regret that the Government insists that Ministerial directions are still necessary in the draft Railways Bill. Such an intervention instrument for future Ministers risks undermining already-agreed investment, and the certainty of future funding which the railway industry and its supply sector desperately need to both plan their businesses and give the best value for money possible for the taxpayer. Any directions should, at the very least, be assessed and reviewed for impact by the regulator, and this is not clearly provided for in the Bill.

‘Also, in the absence of committing to a passenger target, GBR should undertake to publish passenger growth forecasts.’

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