The Rail Delivery Group - which is a leading organisation in Britain's railway industry - has backed the government's latest plans on franchising.

Transport secretary Patrick McLoughlin confirmed a raft of new measures yesterday (March 26th), which he thinks will help to significantly improve the UK's rail network moving forward.

In the future, passengers will have more of a say on which companies take over the operation of certain lines, he suggested.

Director general of the Rail Delivery Group Graham Smith said it is encouraging to see the government striving for more clarity over franchising.

"Britain's railways have enjoyed significant growth and investment; restoring passenger, taxpayer and investor confidence in the franchising process will allow this growth to continue," he remarked.

The group submitted a list of franchising priorities to an independent review of the industry led by Richard Brown in November 2012 and Mr Smith thinks the government's latest announcement shows that it has taken some of the recommendations from this report on board.