ORR seeks views on new safeguards for fair rail ticket market under Great British Railways

Lead

On 9 October 2026 the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) launched a consultation on a draft Retail Code of Practice intended to set new safeguards for the online rail ticket market as Great British Railways (GBR) assumes a major retail role. The draft Code addresses access to fares, products, systems and related retail services. The consultation closes on 11 December 2026 and ORR says a final Retail Code is expected to be published in spring 2027. The source for this brief is a Rail Business Daily report of 9 October 2026.

Verified facts

ORR has published a draft Retail Code of Practice and opened a consultation on it. The Code is framed to require GBR to give all non-GBR online retailers fair, transparent and non-discriminatory access to fares, products, systems and related services, and to avoid giving GBR’s own online ticket retail business an undue advantage. ORR’s draft Code sets expectations for managing conflicts of interest, protecting commercially sensitive information and making market-wide decisions fairly and transparently.

The regulator intends to require compliance with the Retail Code via GBR’s licence, enabling ORR to monitor compliance and, where necessary, consider formal enforcement action. The report states that GBR will also remain subject to UK competition law and must not act in a way that excludes competitors, distorts the online retail market or abuses its position. The consultation period runs until 11 December 2026. ORR says responses will inform the final Retail Code, which it expects to publish in spring 2027. The Rail Business Daily article provides these details.

Organizations and responsibilities

Office of Rail and Road (ORR): Launched the consultation and published the draft Retail Code of Practice; proposes to make the Code a licence requirement for GBR and to monitor compliance and consider formal enforcement action where necessary; encouraged stakeholders to respond to the consultation.

Great British Railways (GBR): Identified in the report as the organisation that will operate most passenger rail services, set the customer offer for those services, and sell tickets across digital channels, at stations and on board its trains. In the online ticket retail market, GBR will manage retail functions other retailers rely on, including central industry IT systems, data processing and issuing third-party retailer licences. Specific contractual arrangements, supplier names and financial figures are Not publicly disclosed.

Independent Rail Retailers (representative): The report records a comment from Anthony Smith, Chair of Independent Rail Retailers, who said the draft Code confirms, for the first time, fair and equal access to fares, products, systems and data and welcomed the requirement on using public funding not to exclude competitors, distort the market or abuse position. He also said his organisation will engage strongly in the consultation and identified areas that require further work.

Operational and commercial context

According to the Rail Business Daily report, ORR frames the Retail Code of Practice as an instrument to preserve competition and passenger choice as GBR assumes central retail functions. The draft Code’s proposed licence enforcement mechanism would allow ORR to monitor GBR’s conduct in access, conflict management and information protection. The report states that ORR is encouraging independent retailers, rail operators, passenger and consumer groups and other interested organisations to respond to the consultation; ORR said it has already engaged with representative organisations and key stakeholders.

Reported information vs first-party statements

Statements described as ORR’s position, including the purpose of the draft Code, the licence enforcement approach and the consultation timetable, are reported from ORR as covered in the Rail Business Daily article. The views of Anthony Smith are reported by Rail Business Daily as a statement from Independent Rail Retailers. Any operational, contractual or financial details not set out in the Rail Business Daily article are Not publicly disclosed.

Sources

https://news.railbusinessdaily.com/orr-seeks-views-on-new-safeguards-for-fair-rail-ticket-market-under-great-british-railways/ — Rail Business Daily

Disclosure

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