What happens after the review is published?

For recommendations from the long-awaited Williams Review to become law, the process is likely to take more than 200 days.

In the aftermath of Rail Minister Chris Heaton-Harris claiming at the National Rail Recovery Conference that the review

“was coming”, public affairs agency Cogitamus produced its assessment of the likely timetable.

It shows that two weeks after the White Paper is published, the Transport Select Committee will hold evidence sessions with Keith Williams (the author) and Heaton-Harris.

Sixty days after the White Paper is published, the Department for Transport is expected to publish results of its consultation into the review. At that point the Railways Bill is published and receives its First Reading in the House of Commons without debate.

Twenty days after that it is then subject to a Second Reading in the Commons and a vote on the main principles.

Ninety days after the initial publication, the Public Bill Committee (PBC) examines the proposals line by line and considers any amendments from Government, Opposition and backbench MPs.

At 110 days, there is a Third Reading of the Railways Bill and a final vote of approval without further amendments. This happens after a full Commons considers the PBC findings and debates further amendments.

Twenty days after that the First and Second Readings for the Railways Bill go to the House of Lords, followed by Committee Stage, Report Stage and Third Reading. This broadly replicates the Commons process.

Consideration of Lords Amendments by the Commons is made 170 days after the initial publication (just under six months) and may be approved or rejected at this point. It could also bounce back and forth between the Houses.

Royal Assent for the Railways Act could then happen 200 days after the initial publication, after which there is Secondary legislation and Statutory Instruments to bring details of the Act into force.