The creation of Great British Railways (GBR) - former prime minister Boris Johnson's plan to simplify the British rail network - may not be included in the King's speech this year, leading to the formation of a diminished body with only a fraction of the powers included in the original proposal.
Officials at the Department for Transport reportedly revealed this information to The Times, stating that the project was not a priority for current prime minister Rishi Sunak's government.
First announced in 2021, Great British Railways was meant to absorb the state-owned infrastructure management company Network Rail and take on many functions from the DfT, including issuing passenger service contracts to private companies to run trains.
In March this year, Derby was revealed as the winner of the race to host the new public body's headquarters.
The project was initially due to be launched in early 2024, but faced delays after the government...