According to the FT:

Ministers are preparing to allow private train companies in England to make
greater profits if they succeed in boosting passenger numbers that were hit
hard by the Covid pandemic.

The transport department is holding talks with operators to reopen their
contracts and introduce an incentive to boost passenger revenue as soon as
next month, according to industry executives and government officials.

The government stepped in to save the industry from collapse when the
pandemic struck and assumed all financial risk by shifting train companies
on to tightly controlled contracts that paid a fixed management fee.

Tweed <usenet.tweed@gmail.com> wrote:
> According to the FT:
>
> Ministers are preparing to allow private train companies in England to make
> greater profits if they succeed in boosting passenger numbers that were hit
> hard by the Covid pandemic.
>
> The transport department is holding talks with operators to reopen their
> contracts and introduce an incentive to boost passenger revenue as soon as
> next month, according to industry executives and government officials.
>
> The government stepped in to save the industry from collapse when the
> pandemic struck and assumed all financial risk by shifting train companies
> on to tightly controlled contracts that paid a fixed management fee.

Yes, some of the TOCs (eg, GWR) hhave been pushing hard for this. They say
they could do more to boost passenger numbers and revenue if given the
freedom and incentive to do so.