The transport secretary has declined to commit to government plans to establish a new rail-infrastructure operator called Great British Railways (GBR).

Mark Harper said he was looking to “achieve the intention behind [the] idea”, but would not commit to the initiative, which was announced last year.

In an appearance before parliament’s transport committee this morning, Harper, who was appointed to the position in October, said he would review the plans and consider alternatives.

“As you know, there are different views of how we achieve integration of the rail network, not just outside parliament but also inside parliament,” he said. “I wanted to take some time to listen to those alternative views from those who have held the rail brief in the past and others.”

Among the people he said he had spoken to was Keith Williams, co-author of the Williams-Shapps review, which was the driver behind the Department for Transport announcing the launch of GBR, as well as the abolition of Network Rail, in May 2021.

Today, Harper did not provide any details on alternative plans for a new national transport body.

The government had committed to pushing through the Transport Bill, which included the creation of GBR, during this parliamentary session, before a delay to the bill was revealed by former transport secretary Anne-Marie Trevelyan in October. She had suggested the plan could be considered by 2024, but the latest comments by Harper will further drive uncertainty over the future of the national rail network. It was originally meant to become operational in 2023.

In response to a further comment from West Dorset MP Chris Loder, who today said it was clear that plans for GBR are “up in the air”, Harper detailed measures he and colleagues were working on that did not require legislation, such as developing ticketless contact-card accessibility across the rail network in the South East of England. But he neglected to give a timeframe for a decision on GBR.

“I aim to [take the decision] at pace but, given the amount of resource the department spends on rail and the importance of rail, I want to make sure we make the right decision,” he said. “Given I have only been in this role for a few weeks, I just want to take the time to get it right before we move ahead with it.”

Reception from the construction industry was generally positive when GBR was announced 18 months ago, with Charlie Hodgson, managing director for transport and infrastructure at consultancy WSP, saying it and other elements of the Williams-Shapps Plan for Rail would improve the planning of engineering works on the network.

When Trevelyan pushed the plan back in October, Manuel Cortes, general secretary of transport union TSSA, suggested that she had “all but junked” the plans.

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