The Director of Passenger Rail Franchising (which by the Railways Act of 1993 was a role created to sell passenger rail franchises to the private sector) was replaced in 2001 by the Strategic Rail Authority, which was abolished in 2006 and was then taken over by the Secretary of State for Transport.
The legislation created a new regulatory regime for the railways, with the establishment of the Rail Regulator (dealing with the monopoly and dominant elements of the industry, principally Railtrack (now Network Rail)) and the Director of Passenger Rail Franchising, whose role was to sell passenger rail franchises to the private sector. The Director of Passenger Rail Franchising was replaced in 2001 by the Strategic Rail Authority. When the SRA was abolished in 2006 franchising were taken over by the Secretary of State for Transport. 
