Passenger Transport Executives
Section 13: Railway functions of Passenger Transport Executives
80.Subsection (1) provides that the Secretary of State must consult a Passenger Transport Executive in England before issuing an invitation to tender for or, where he does not invite tenders, entering into a franchise agreement which includes services where that Passenger Transport Executive have an interest.
81.Subsection (2) defines the services in which a Passenger Transport Executive has an interest. These are railway passenger services within a PTE's area or railway passenger services to or from a PTE area.
82.Subsection (3) enables a Passenger Transport Executive in England to enter into arrangements with the Secretary of State whereby the PTE can make payments to the Secretary of State that relate to railway passenger services, station services or bus substitution services provided within the PTE’s area and/or the Secretary of State can use his powers in relation to those services within the PTE’s area in a particular way. This would for example enable the parties to agree for the Secretary of State to secure additional railway passenger services under the franchise agreement which the PTE would fund. "Bus substitution service" is defined in Schedule 11 Paragraph 11(b) of the Act.
83.Subsection (4) enables Passenger Transport Executives in England to enter into agreements directly with Train Operating Companies who are rail franchisees and franchise operators in connection with railway passenger services and related station services within the PTE’s area.
84.Subsection (5) specifies that Passenger Transport Executives in England need to obtain the approval of the Secretary of State before entering into agreements with franchisees or franchise operators (or anyone who proposes to be one). This requirement applies whether the PTE is relying on its powers under subsection (4) or any of its other powers (such as its general powers under section 10 of the Transport Act 1968 (c.73)).
85.Subsection (6) enables the Secretary of State to give approval to agreements for the purposes of subsection (5) under either a general approval (approving a class of agreements such as agreements relating to a specified issue) or a specific approval (for a particular individual agreement). It also enables the Secretary of State to withdraw any approval which he may give in relation to an agreement at any stage up to the point that the agreement is entered into.
86.Subsection (7) confirms that the agreements that a Passenger Transport Executive in England may, with the approval of the Secretary of State, enter into include rail franchise agreements which comprise or which include services within their passenger transport area.
87.Subsection (8) specifies that the Secretary of State and a Passenger Transport Executive in England must provide information to each other which has been reasonably requested by the other for the purposes of undertaking their functions with respect to railways or railway services. Subsection 8(b) provides that this duty is limited to a duty to share information which the disclosing body may lawfully disclose (i.e., the information is not covered by a contractual or statutory prohibition on disclosure).
Section 14: Repeals and savings relating to Passenger Transport Executives
88.Subsection (1) specifies the sections of the Transport Act 1968 and the 1993 Act that are to be repealed in relation to PTEs.
89.Subsection (2) provides that Passenger Transport Executives which are party to franchise agreements at the time when this section is brought into force may continue to be a party to those franchise agreements.
90.Subsection (3) provides that subsection (2) and sections 13(4) and 13(7) of this Act must be disregarded if there are provisions within the relevant franchise agreement that enable any person to amend that agreement in such a way as to cause a Passenger Transport Executive to cease to be a party to that agreement. It also provides that a Passenger Transport Executive must comply with all directions that the Secretary of State gives to them pursuant to which they will cease to be a party to a franchise agreement.
91.Subsection (4) contains a transitional provision that notwithstanding the repeals in this Act and the provisions of section 14, section 34(17) of the 1993 Act (c.43) shall continue to have effect in relation to any franchise agreement to which a PTE is party before the commencement of this section. In addition any other provision that affects the meaning of section 34(17) will continue in force for the purposes of this section. Section 34(17) is a dispute resolution provision for franchise agreements to which the SRA and PTEs are party, and provides that disputes may be referred by either body to the Secretary of State, who may give such directions to the SRA and the PTE with respect to the franchise agreement as he may think fit.
92.Subsection (5) provides that, if the provisions of subsection (4) are used, any references to the Strategic Rail Authority are to have effect as references to the Secretary of State where the interest in the franchise agreement has been transferred to the Secretary of State.
