Andy Bagnall, chief executive of Rail Partners, has responded to Alstom’s open access application:

‘If approved, the proposed open access operations between London, the Midlands, Shropshire, and North Wales will be good news for passengers, who will reap the benefits that healthy competition between operators brings in terms of a choice of services, innovation on fares, and improved performance.

‘The evidence both here in Britain, on the East Coast Mainline, and across Europe shows that where more commercial freedom exists for operators, it leads to better service, cheaper fares and greater efficiencies.

‘To deliver more benefits to passengers, government should make it a priority to remove barriers to open access operations now and during the next parliament, in parallel to wider reform that harnesses private sector operators within a new public body.’