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Section 19: Access agreements: contracts for the use, on behalf of the Secretary of State, of installations comprised in a network.

Railways Act 1993 · 1993 c. 43View on legislation.gov.uk

Part I: The Provision of Railway Services

The Office of Rail and Road may, on the application of any person, give directions to an installation owner requiring him to enter into an installation access contract with the applicant for the purpose of enabling the beneficiary to obtain (whether for himself alone or for himself and, so far as may be applicable, associates of his) permission to use the installation owner's network installation for the purpose of operating, on behalf of the Secretary of State, the network in which the network installation is comprised.

Directions shall not be given under subsection (1) above in the case of any network installation if and to the extent that, as a result of an obligation or duty owed by the installation owner which arose before the coming into force of this section, the consent of some other person is required by the installation owner before he may enter into the installation access contract.

An installation owner shall not enter into an installation access contract to which this subsection applies unless—

he does so pursuant to directions under subsection (1) above; . . .
the Office of Rail and Road has approved the terms of the installation access contract and the installation owner enters into the contract pursuant to directions given by virtue of subsection (5) below; or
the installation access contract is of a class or description specified in a general approval given by the Regulator;

and any installation access contract to which this subsection applies shall be void unless one of the conditions in paragraphs (a) to (c) above is satisfied.

The installation access contracts to which subsection (3) above applies are those under which the beneficiary obtains (whether for himself alone or for himself and associates of his) from an installation owner permission to use the installation owner's network installation for the purpose of operating, on behalf of the Secretary of State , the network in which the network installation is comprised.

Subsections (5) to (7) of section 18 above shall apply in relation to installation access contracts to which subsection (3) of this section applies as they apply in relation to access contracts to which that section applies, but with the following modifications, that is to say—

for any reference to a facility owner there shall be substituted a reference to an installation owner;
for any reference to an access contract to which that section applies there shall be substituted a reference to an installation access contract to which subsection (3) above applies;
for the reference to subsection (1)(b) of that section there shall be substituted a reference to subsection (3)(b) of this section.

Where the Office of Rail and Road gives or revokes a general approval under subsection (3)(c) above, it shall publish the approval or revocation in such manner as it considers appropriate.

The revocation of a general approval given under subsection (3)(c) above shall not affect the continuing validity of any installation access contract to which it applied.

Nothing in this section—

authorises the Office of Rail and Road to give directions to an installation owner requiring him to grant a lease of the whole or any part of his network installation; or
prevents an installation owner from granting a lease of any land which consists of or includes the whole or any part of his network installation.

Any reference in this section to a person operating a network "on behalf of the Secretary of State" is a reference to his operating the network in pursuance of any agreement or other arrangements made by the Secretary of State, the Welsh Ministers for the purpose of performing a duty imposed upon him, or exercising a power conferred upon him, under or by virtue of this Part or Part 4 of the Railways Act 2005 (network modifications etc.) to secure the operation of that network.

Any reference in this section to obtaining permission to use a network installation includes—

a reference to obtaining, in connection with any such permission, power to obtain the provision of ancillary services relating to that network installation, whether the installation owner in question is to provide those services himself or to secure their provision by another; and
a reference to obtaining permission—
to enter upon the installation land, with or without vehicles,
to bring things on to that land and keep them there,
to carry out works on that land, and
to use and maintain any things kept, or buildings or other works constructed, on that land (whether by the beneficiary or another) or any amenities situated on that land;

and in paragraph (b) above "installation land" means the land which constitutes the network installation in question.

In this Part—

  • "installation access contract" means a contract under which— obtains permission from an installation owner to use the installation owner's network installation;

    (a)a person (whether or not the applicant), and

    (b)so far as may be appropriate, any associate of that person,

  • "installation owner" means any person—

    (a)who has an estate or interest in, or right over, a network installation; and

    (b)whose permission to use that network installation is needed by another before that other may use it;

  • but also includes a person before he becomes an installation owner;

  • and any reference to an installation owner's network installation is a reference to the network installation by reference to which he is an installation owner.

In this section—

  • "ancillary service" means any service which is necessary or expedient for giving full effect to any permission or right which a person may have to use a network installation;

  • "the applicant" means the person making the application for directions under subsection (1) above;

  • "associate" has the meaning given by section 17(7) above;

  • "the beneficiary" means the person mentioned in paragraph (a) of the definition of "installation access contract" in subsection (9) above;

  • "lease" includes an underlease or sublease and an agreement for a lease, underlease or sublease;

  • "network installation" means any installation (other than track) which is comprised in a network.

Any reference in this section to a network installation includes a reference to a part of a network installation and to one which is proposed to be constructed or is in the course of construction..

Schedule 4 to this Act shall have effect with respect to applications for directions under subsection (1) above as it has effect with respect to applications for directions under section 17 above, but with the following modifications, that is to say—

for any reference to an access contract, there shall be substituted a reference to an installation access contract;
any reference to an application for directions under section 17 above shall be taken as a reference to an application for directions under subsection (1) above;
for any reference to the facility owner, there shall be substituted a reference to the installation owner mentioned in subsection (1) above;
for any reference to section 17 above (but not to any specific provision of that section) there shall be substituted a reference to this section.

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This legislation text comes from legislation.gov.uk. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. These source and reuse terms cover the legislation text, not Remedy's commentary.

Reuse reviewed 21 August 2026 under Open Government Licence v3.0.