Office of Rail and Road proposes new rules to protect independent rail retailers

The Office of Rail and Road (ORR) has launched a consultation on a new Retail Code of Practice intended to safeguard independent rail ticket retailers during the transition to Great British Railways (GBR). The proposed code aims to ensure that GBR provides fair, transparent, and non-discriminatory access to fares, products, systems, and data. This move addresses investor concerns that GBR’s planned consolidation of 14 existing train operator websites into a single national platform could disadvantage independent competitors like Trainline.

Compliance with the code would be integrated into GBR’s licence conditions, granting the ORR enforcement powers to address breaches. While the development is viewed as a reduction in regulatory risk for independent sellers, analysts note that the code protects the right to compete rather than specific market shares. The consultation period is scheduled to close on 11 December, with a final code expected to be implemented in spring 2027.