Railways Bill Remaining Stages: New Clause 1

Parliament voted on 10 June 2026 on New Clause 1 to the Railways Bill, a proposal put forward by the Liberal Democrats that would have required the Secretary of State to lay a Passengers' Charter before Parliament within six months of the Act passing. The clause was defeated by 271 votes to 77. The Passengers' Charter proposed by New Clause 1 would have set legally enforceable standards across a range of on-board conditions. These included value for money guarantees, reliability targets, adequate seating on journeys over thirty minutes, and a timetable for improving facilities such as wi-fi, power outlets, luggage storage, accessible toilets, and catering on journeys of two hours or more. It would also have extended the existing Delay Repay compensation framework to cover failures to meet these on-board standards, and strengthened accessibility requirements for passengers with disabilities. The Liberal Democrats provided all but a handful of the 77 supporting votes, with the Greens, Plaid Cymru, Reform UK, and a small number of independents also voting in favour. Labour MPs voted unanimously against, providing the bulk of the 271 no votes. The Scottish National Party had no votes recorded in either direction. The Railways Bill, which aims to reorganise the rail industry by bringing together infrastructure and train operation under a new Great British Railways body, passed its Third Reading on the same day by 278 votes to 149, suggesting the government retained a comfortable majority throughout the remaining stages.