Railway matters
Section 29: Power to designate persons as “protected railway companies”
83.Section 29(1) and (2) allow the Secretary of State, with the consent of the private sector company concerned, by order to provide that such company be treated as a protected railway company for the purposes of the Railways Act 1993. Such a company must be the manager of a railway facility that is contained in or associated with the principal Crossrail tunnel.
84.The effect of a company being treated as a protected railway company is to engage sections 59 to 65 of the Railways Act 1993 in respect of that company. These provisions enable the Secretary of State to apply to a Court for a “railway administration order” in respect of an insolvent protected railway company, or to intervene (and apply for such an order) during the voluntary winding up or insolvency proceedings of such a company. The purposes of railway administration orders are to secure the transfer to another company of an undertaking so that relevant railway operations may be continued, and to secure the continuation of such railway operations pending a transfer.
85.Section 29(3) provides that an order under the above subsection shall be subject to annulment by a resolution of either House of Parliament.