Channel Tunnel Rail Link (Supplementary Provisions) Act 2008

<p>The aim of the Bill is to clarify the legislation and regulations on the Channel Tunnel Rail Link. This comes ahead of a restructuring of London &amp; Continental Railways, who won the bid to construct the Channel Tunnel Rail Link in February 1996.</p><p>In January 1998, the then Deputy Prime Minister announced that London &amp; Continental Railways had failed to find the necessary money for the project. On 3 June he announced its rescue: a public private partnership was set up and a new management team put in place.</p><p>Clause 1 of this Bill is of primary importance as it confirms that the Secretary of State is empowered to fund the Channel Tunnel Rail Link and the trains that run on it. </p><p><br><strong>Key areas</strong></p><ul><li>Amends the railway track access agreements set out in the original Channel Tunnel Rail Link Act 1996</li><li>Repeals certain duties of the Office of Rail Regulation</li><li>Allows the Office of Rail Regulation to charge a fee for carrying out its regulatory functions in relation to Channel Tunnel </li><li>Amends the definition of the agreement to develop the Channel Tunnel Rail Link in the 1996 Act to include the word 'operation'. <br></li></ul>