Trainline shares dipped this morning after ministers unveiled plans to introduce a national rail ticket website as part of wide-reaching reforms

The stock fell more than five per cent in early trading as investors reacted to the news.

Great British Railways (GBR), the arms-length body that will oversee the UK’s reformed railway system, will bring together individual train operators’ ticket websites, the Department for Transport (DfT) said in a statement on Wednesday.

Exact plans for GBR online retail will be developed in the coming months “in close partnership with industry and the private sector,” the DfT added, however the project will take several years to fully realise.

It aims to simplify the complex web of fares and tickets that have proved a nuisance for commuters for decades and comes ahead of an industry-wide consultation on the government’s Rail Reform Bill in the coming weeks.

The DfT insisted the private sector would “continue to play a key role” in driving growth and innovation on the tracks.

What does the future hold?

Investors in Trainline, the FTSE 250 ticketing app, have long feared the creation of a rival service. The firm has been accused by unions of ripping off customers and putting profit ahead of public service.