Railways Act 2005
The Railways Act 2005 is an act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom concerning the regulatory structure for railways in the United Kingdom.
Overview
The bill was introduced and published on 25 November 2004 and received royal assent on 7 April 2005. The act made certain reforms, principally:- Abolished the Strategic Rail Authority, transferring some of its functions to the Secretary of State, some to the Office of Rail Regulation, and some to the Scottish Government and some to the Mayor of London.
- Transferred certain responsibilities from the Health and Safety Executive to the Office of Rail Regulation.
- Reduced the number of franchises.
- Reduced the financial jurisdiction of the Office of Rail Regulation, imposing a Treasury-determined cap on its financial powers and requiring the Secretary of State for Transport to specify what he wants in return for the public subsidy which goes into the railway industry.
- Established the Rail Passengers Council.
- Set up a new regime for the closure of railway facilities and services.
Reception
The act was described alongside the Transport (Wales) Act 2006 as the largest transfer of powers to the Assembly between 1999 and 2007 in Contemporary Wales.Section 60 - Short title, commencement and extent
The following orders have been made under this section:*