ORR consults on fair rules for rail ticket sales under GBR

What the ORR is consulting on

The Office of Rail and Road (ORR) launched a consultation on 9 October 2026 on a draft Retail Code of Practice. The draft code would establish new safeguards for the future online rail ticket market under Great British Railways (GBR). According to the ORR, the draft code is intended to help ensure the market remains fair and open, supporting competition and passenger choice.

The consultation is a formal step in the development of the proposed rules. The document under discussion is a draft, not a final code, and the arrangements it describes are proposed rather than settled. The ORR has set out the scope of the draft code and the principles it would contain, and it is inviting responses before deciding on the final version. The draft code focuses on the online retail market for rail tickets. The ORR states that the proposed code will provide enforceable safeguards to help maintain a fair and open online retail market. The consultation period runs until 11 December 2026, and the final Retail Code is expected to be published in spring 2027.

Why it matters: GBR replaces 14 operator websites and apps

GBR will operate most passenger rail services, set the customer offer for those services, and sell tickets across digital channels, at stations and on board its trains. Its future online retailer will replace the 14 websites and apps of DfT-contracted train operators. Independent retailers, open access operators and devolved operators will continue to be able to sell tickets as they do now.

In the online ticket retail market, GBR will also manage the retail functions that other ticket retailers rely on, such as central industry IT systems, data processing and the issuing of third-party retailer licences. Rail ticket retail management functions currently carried out by the Rail Delivery Group will move to GBR. This gives GBR two distinct roles: selling tickets itself and running the systems other retailers depend on. The draft code is designed to address the potential conflicts that could arise from those dual roles. The ORR says the proposed code will provide enforceable safeguards to help maintain a fair and open online retail market.

What the draft code would require

The proposed code would require GBR to give all non-GBR online retailers fair, transparent and non-discriminatory access to fares, products, systems and related services, without giving its own online ticket retail business an undue advantage. The ORR describes these as safeguards for a fair and open market. The draft code also sets expectations for managing conflicts of interest, protecting commercially sensitive information and making market-wide decisions fairly and transparently.

These provisions are proposed, not final. They would apply to GBR in its role as both a retailer and a manager of industry systems. The ORR press release does not set out any change to ticket prices. It focuses on the conditions under which online ticket retail would operate. The ORR states that the draft code is intended to help ensure the market remains fair and open, supporting competition and passenger choice. The proposed safeguards are designed to apply across the online retail market as GBR takes on its new responsibilities.

How it would be enforced

GBR will be required to comply with the Retail Code through its licence, allowing ORR to monitor compliance and, where necessary, consider formal enforcement action. This means the proposed code would not be voluntary. The licence condition would give the ORR a formal role in overseeing how GBR meets the requirements of the code. The ORR would be able to monitor GBR's conduct in the online retail market and to consider enforcement action if the requirements are not met.

GBR will also be subject to competition law. That provides a separate legal framework that applies alongside the proposed licence condition. The ORR says the proposed code will provide enforceable safeguards to help maintain a fair and open online retail market. Both the licence condition and competition law would apply to GBR. The draft code is not final, and the enforcement arrangements described are proposed. The ORR is consulting on the draft before deciding on the final version.

Dates and who can respond

The consultation closes on 11 December 2026. The ORR is encouraging independent retailers, rail operators, passenger and consumer groups and other interested organisations to respond. The consultation is open to a range of stakeholders with an interest in the online rail ticket market. The ORR has set out the draft code and is seeking views before finalising the rules.

The final Retail Code is expected to be published in spring 2027. Until then, the code remains a draft, and the requirements described are proposed rather than confirmed. The ORR states that the proposed code will provide enforceable safeguards to help maintain a fair and open online retail market. The consultation period gives interested parties the opportunity to comment on the draft before the final code is published. The ORR's Director of Strategy, Policy and Reform, Stephanie Tobyn, said the proposed code will provide enforceable safeguards to help maintain a fair and open online retail market.

Source: Office of Rail and Road press release, 9 October 2026.

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Frequently asked questions

When did the ORR consultation open?

The Office of Rail and Road (ORR) launched a consultation on 9 October 2026 on a draft Retail Code of Practice.

What is the draft Retail Code of Practice for?

The draft code would establish new safeguards for the future online rail ticket market under Great British Railways (GBR). The ORR says it is intended to help ensure the market remains fair and open, supporting competition and passenger choice.

How many websites and apps will GBR's online retailer replace?

GBR's future online retailer will replace the 14 websites and apps of DfT-contracted train operators.

What would the draft code require of GBR?

The proposed code would require GBR to give all non-GBR online retailers fair, transparent and non-discriminatory access to fares, products, systems and related services, without giving its own online ticket retail business an undue advantage. It also sets expectations for managing conflicts of interest, protecting commercially sensitive information and making market-wide decisions fairly and transparently.

How would the code be enforced?

GBR will be required to comply with the Retail Code through its licence, allowing ORR to monitor compliance and, where necessary, consider formal enforcement action. GBR will also be subject to competition law.