Taking stock of the open access rail market

<span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">Taking stock of the open access rail market</span> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2026-09-22T10:00:00+00:00" title="Tuesday, 22 September, 2026 - 10:00" class="datetime">Tue, 22/09/2026 - 10:00</time> </span> <span class="orr-published-date">22 September 2026</span> <div class="field field--name-field-standfirst field--type-string-long field--label-hidden field__item">Our latest monitoring report examines how open access rail services are evolving across domestic and international markets.</div> <div class="orr-share-links"><div><a href="https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Taking%20stock%20of%20the%20open%20access%20rail%20market&amp;url=https%3A//www.orr.gov.uk/search-news/taking-stock-open-access-rail-market" target="_blank" class="orr-share-twitter" title="Share to X">X</a><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/sharing/share-offsite?url=https%3A//www.orr.gov.uk/search-news/taking-stock-open-access-rail-market" target="_blank" class="orr-share-linkedin" title="Share to Linkedin">Linkedin</a><a href="mailto:?subject=Taking%20stock%20of%20the%20open%20access%20rail%20market&amp;body=https%3A//www.orr.gov.uk/search-news/taking-stock-open-access-rail-market" class="orr-share-email" title="Send to email">email</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-cover-image field--type-entity-reference field--label-visually_hidden"> <div class="field__label visually-hidden">Cover Image</div> <div class="field__item"><article class="media media--type-image media--view-mode-demo-cover"> <div class="field field--name-field-media-image field--type-image field--label-visually_hidden"> <div class="field__label visually-hidden">Image</div> <div class="field__item"> <img loading="lazy" src="/sites/default/files/styles/demo_cover/public/2026-09/lumo-news-cover.jpg?itok=F6TwAY87" width="1080" height="583" alt="Lumo train at Newcastle station" class="image-style-demo-cover" /> </div> </div> </article> </div> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-visually_hidden"> <div class="field__label visually-hidden">Body</div> <div class="field__item"></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-components field--type-entity-reference-revisions field--label-visually_hidden"> <div class="field__label visually-hidden">Components</div> <div class="field__items"> <div class="field__item"> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--text paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-text field--type-text-long field--label-hidden field__item"><h2>Why we monitor open access</h2><p>We are often asked what effect open access rail services have on the passenger experience and the wider railway.</p><p>Until Great British Railways (GBR) is stood up, ORR is responsible for regulating access to the rail network and deciding, where appropriate, whether operators can secure rights to run new services. &nbsp;</p><p>ORR is responsible for decisions on both domestic and international applications, which attract significant interest from industry, government and passengers. By monitoring how services perform and how passengers respond, we can provide evidence that helps operators, investors, policymakers and ORR better understand how rail markets are developing and where future opportunities may emerge.</p><p>That is why ORR publishes an <a href="/monitoring-regulation/rail/competition/other-competition-work/competition-work-open-access" data-entity-type="node" data-entity-uuid="859e0dde-5760-4c11-a39d-5ab13fe8d11f" data-entity-substitution="canonical">annual open access monitoring report</a>. By tracking market outcomes over time, we can build a clearer picture of how rail markets are evolving and how passengers experience the services that operate within them. This evidence helps inform future regulatory decisions and contributes to wider discussions about the future shape of the railway.</p><h2>A growing international dimension</h2><p>This year’s report has a significant focus on the international open access market, following our decisions to grant access for Virgin Trains to Temple Mills International depot, and the High Speed 1 network, unlocking the prospect of international rail competition for the first time since the Channel Tunnel was opened. &nbsp;</p><p>Since these decisions were taken, interest from a number of prospective operators has continued, reflecting the opportunities many businesses see in international passenger rail. To better understand both those opportunities and the challenges that remain, ORR spoke with infrastructure managers, existing operators and prospective entrants during summer 2026. Participants were broadly optimistic about the potential for increased competition and growth in international rail, while highlighting a number of interconnected challenges around access to key facilities, financing, and investment planning.</p><h2>Domestic open access</h2><p>Open access operators remain a very small part of the overall rail market, accounting for around 0.5% of passenger journeys on the GB rail network. On average, open access operators performed slightly better than comparable long-distance contracted operators on measures of punctuality and reliability during 2025-26, with significantly lower cancellation rates. Passenger demand has also recovered strongly since the pandemic, particularly amongst domestic open access operators, although some of this growth reflects the introduction of new services in recent years. &nbsp;</p><p>Passenger experience presents a more nuanced picture. Overall passenger satisfaction was generally higher amongst open access operators, with all domestic open access operators recording satisfaction scores around or above the industry median. At the same time, complaints per journey remained higher for open access operators than for comparable contracted operators and increased more quickly during the latest year. &nbsp;As in previous years, punctuality and reliability remained amongst the most important drivers of passenger complaints. &nbsp;</p><h2>Looking ahead</h2><p>The rail market in Great Britain will undergo significant changes over the coming years with the creation of GBR, and ORR as the independent regulator will continue to monitor domestic and international passenger services with a focus on whole system outcomes. You can read our <a href="/sites/default/files/2026-09/monitoring-open-access-report-2026-update.pdf" data-entity-type="media" data-entity-uuid="98777468-3a89-47f1-a301-6c76f9b0e023" data-entity-substitution="media">full open access monitoring report</a> here.&nbsp;</p></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-related-links field--type-link field--label-above page__related page__related--links"> <div class="field__label">Related links</div> <div class="field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/monitoring-regulation/rail/competition/other-competition-work/competition-work-open-access">Competition work on open access</a></div> </div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-author-image field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img loading="lazy" src="/sites/default/files/styles/news_author_120x120_/public/2026-09/nevan-mcgrath-blog-round.jpg?itok=XdypNu2x" width="120" height="120" alt="Nevan McGrath" class="image-style-news-author-120x120-" /> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-author-name field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Nevan McGrath</div> <div class="field field--name-field-author-job-title field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Senior Economist</div>

Publication

Office of Rail and Road - RSS · Trade Publication

Published

22nd September 2026

Original report

orr.gov.uk

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