Royal Charter Part 4

Prime Minister Ashford tapped his quill against his notepad, looking around the council table. "What Baron Teucher is presenting is not merely a corporate franchise application, Your Majesty. It is the civil architecture for an entire era of state transport."

"Correct," Ernest said.

The Minister of Justice closed his ledger. "In that case, the operating companies cannot be permitted to regulate themselves. The authority must remain purely with the Crown."

"Which brings us back to the Royal Railway Commission," Ashford said, listing its statutory powers aloud: "Route alignment approval, compulsory land acquisition oversight, national technical standards enforcement, safety inspections, accident investigations, and freight tariff regulation."

The Commerce Minister added dryly, "And ensuring the Teucher Industrial Group doesn't use predatory freight rates to starve its commercial rivals."