Department for Transport

The Railway Benevolent Institution, known as the Rail Benevolent Fund (RBF), is an independent non-membership charity, supported by charitable fundraising and donations, and regulated by the Charity Commission for England and Wales. The future role of the RBF, including when Great British Railways is established, is a matter for the charity.

West Midlands Railway’s (WMR’s) modern Class 196 fleet entered service between Shrewsbury and Birmingham in 2022, increasing capacity, and improving reliability and customer experience. Transport for Wales (TfW) are introducing new Class 197 trains from 2026 on their route through Shropshire to Birmingham International.

The Department also worked with the West Midlands Rail Executive to restore the semi-fast WMR service between Shrewsbury and Birmingham New Street.

My Department is developing our road safety strategy and we will set out more details in due course.

The Highway Code was updated in 2022 to include changes to improve safety for cyclists, pedestrians and horse riders, including guidance on safe passing distances and speeds and the introduction of a hierarchy of road users. The advice on safe passing distances in Rule 163 says that motorists should “allow at least 2 metres of space and keep to a low speed when passing a pedestrian who is walking in the road (for example, where there is no pavement)”.

The Government's flagship road safety campaign, THINK! plays an important role in raising awareness of, and encouraging compliance with road safety legislation, including the changes to The Highway Code. THINK! ran campaigns to alert road users of the changes as they came into effect, and broader behaviour campaigns to encourage understanding and uptake of the guidance. Over £2.4 million has been spent on media to promote this campaign, utilising channels such as radio, digital audio, video on demand and social media advertising.

We will continue to promote The Highway Code changes on THINK! and DfT social media channels and via our partner organisations.

The Government is committed to reducing the numbers of those killed and injured on our roads.

We are considering a range of policies under the new Road Safety Strategy; the first for ten years. Details on this will be published shortly.

The government has not made an assessment of the impact of vegetation clearance carried out by Network Rail under temporary variations on Network Rail’s biodiversity commitments. Any work carried out by Network Rail under temporary variation against the vegetation standard, would still be following its biodiversity standard. Network Rail is committed to increasing biodiversity across its estate, but vegetation management is still necessary to maintain a safe and efficient railway.

The Government is committed to improving the accessibility of the railway and recognises the significant social and economic benefits this brings to passengers and communities.

In May 2024, the previous government agreed the publication of a list of 50 additional stations selected for initial feasibility work under the Access for All programme, which included Yeovil Junction in the Yeovil constituency. Network Rail has now completed this feasibility work, and the Government will shortly announce which of these stations will progress to the next stage.

The Railways Bill will ensure that the interests of all passengers, particularly those with accessibility needs, are at the heart of decision-making across the railways. Great British Railways (GBR) will have a clear passenger and accessibility duty, requiring it to consider the needs of disabled passengers and to embed improved accessibility at the core of the railway. However, we are not waiting for GBR to be established to deliver improvements. Alongside the Railways Bill, the Department for Transport has published the Roadmap to an Accessible Railway, which sets out the actions being taken now to improve accessibility and the day-to-day travel experience for passengers who need assistance, ahead of GBR’s creation.

The remaining High Speed Train (HST) fleet, including Class 43 power cars, were withdrawn at the end of the Summer 2025 timetable and have been replaced with existing fleet, including the recently introduced Class 175s, the first of which entered passenger services on Monday 15 December.

The remaining High Speed Train (HST) fleet, including Class 43 power cars, were withdrawn at the end of the Summer 2025 timetable and have been replaced with existing fleet, including the recently introduced Class 175s, the first of which entered passenger services on Monday 15 December.

The Department for Transport holds all the operators that it funds to account for delivering performance for passengers. The Rail Minister meets regularly with the Managing Directors of train operators and their Network Rail counterparts to address poor performance and demand immediate action to raise standards.

The table below shows the most recent data on levels of reliability and punctuality for DfT funded services over the past year. This compares operators currently in public ownership and shows that reliability is higher for operators currently in public ownership under DfT Operator Ltd (DFTO) compared to private sector operators contracted by DfT.

“Time to 3 punctuality” refers to the proportion of trains calling at stations within three minutes of schedule.

We expect that, once established, Great British Railways (GBR) will continue to lease rolling stock where this offers value for money. The private-sector rolling stock market has brought significant benefits to passengers and taxpayers, with private investment worth over £20 billion since 1995. However, we are determined to work with the market to ensure it delivers best value for passengers and taxpayers in the future. That is why, even before establishing GBR, we are now developing a comprehensive long-term strategy for rolling stock and associated infrastructure – the first in more than thirty years. We intend to publish this next summer.

My officials are continuing to work closely with Transport for London to progress an assessment of the traffic levels in South-West London following the closure of Hammersmith Bridge to motor vehicles, and further updates will be made available in the near future.

The new brand for Great British Railways (GBR) was developed in-house by the Department for Transport with support from a livery design specialist working for a train operator in public ownership, with the only minimal design cost being audience testing. This approach was chosen to ensure good value for money for the taxpayer.

As part of unveiling the new branding, the Department collaborated with Dovetail Games to connect with a larger audience. Though details of licencing contracts are commercially confidential, this agreement returns a premium to the department through licencing fees, rather than being a cost to the public purse. No payments have been made, or are due to, Dovetail Games.

As set out in the answer to Question 94307, establishing GBR through the Railways Bill will provide an integrated approach and greater longer-term certainty for rail, giving the private sector the confidence it needs to invest and support innovation throughout the sector. The Railways Bill Impact Assessment provides an assessment of the potential impacts of the rail reform policies within the Railways Bill, including the impacts on Business Environment.

The Department does not currently collect specific data on incidents involving rental e-bikes.

The Standing Committee on Road Injury Collision Statistics, which oversees the collection of road collision and casualty statistics known as STATS19, is currently reviewing the recording of vehicle and propulsion types within STATS19 with a view to providing better guidance to reporting police officers on the classification of e-bikes.

The Department for Transport has not made an assessment of the potential differences in terms and conditions between outsourced and directly employed staff within train operating companies. These matters are managed directly by the operators and employers themselves. In the future, workforce issues, including employment practices and contractual arrangements, will be a matter for Great British Railways. The Railways Bill does not cover matters relating to employment.

All Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) Safety Recommendations are published within the investigation reports to which they relate. In addition, the AAIB provides regular updates on the status of these recommendations on its website. These updates include the responses received, the AAIB’s assessment of those responses, and the progress of any actions taken.

This information is also summarised in the AAIB Annual Safety Review which is published in the second quarter of each year. The review covers recommendations that were opened or closed in the previous year and includes its status at the time of publication as well as expected timelines for further updates.

It is the responsibility of local authorities to manage their streets and to ensure this is done in a way which allows them to comply with the Public Sector Equality Duty.

The Department provides good practice guidance on designing accessible streets in Inclusive Mobility: A Guide to Best Practice on Access to Pedestrian and Transport Infrastructure.

This is available at: www.gov.uk/government/publications/inclusive-mobility-making-transport-accessible-for-passengers-and-pedestrians.

The Secretary of State has written to the Transport Select Committee on this issue, a copy of which can be found here: https://committees.parliament.uk/publications/50296/documents/271772/default/.

We have no evidence of other consultations being affected and are taking all steps necessary to ensure our suppliers prevent a recurrence. This includes reviewing our email filtering system logs for all open consultations and seeking separate external assurance on the configuration of our replacement filtering system.

My Department does not hold this information. For information on how many electric BYD buses have been licensed overall, please see the DVLA statistics – table VEH0133. (Vehicle licensing statistics data tables – GOV.UK)

The Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) publishes details regarding recommendations that have not yet been implemented, including their planned implementation date, in the MAIB Annual Report (Marine Accident Recommendations and Statistics). The 2024 Annual Report was published on 17 July 2025 and is attached. The 2025 Annual report is planned to be published in May 2026.

Network Rail, as the infrastructure manager of Britain’s railways, is responsible for maintaining the integrity and safety of the rail network to ensure passenger and freight services can operate reliably. Network Rail manages Victorian-era embankments—some over 150 years old—as part of a comprehensive, risk-based earthworks strategy. Its approach comprises policies, monitoring, maintenance, and engineering interventions. It is spending over £1bn on drainage and earthworks in 2024-2029 to ensure the integrity of the rail network, which includes embankment stabilisation.

The Department is currently developing its approach for the Structures Fund. Further detail on how it will be delivered and expected timings will be provided shortly.

The announcement on this measure by the Secretary of State for Transport on 12 November, provided further details regarding the number of tests.

Information on this and other measures announced is available on GOV.UK.

The national average waiting time for a car practical driving test in November 2025 was 22 weeks.

For the national average waiting time in October 2025, I refer the hon Member to the answers I gave on 28 November and 8 December, to Questions 93246 and 96689.

To mitigate delays, National Highways has suspended all non-essential works from 21 December to 2 January, lifting over 90% of roadworks across 1,700 miles of the network. At critical junctions, Operation Brock is in place from 16 to 23 December to manage traffic at the Port of Dover and Eurotunnel, supported by real-time monitoring and rapid incident response from the Regional Operations Centre. On motorways, essential works remain where removal would be unsafe, including a full closure of the M27 between junctions 9 and 11 and limited restrictions on the M25, M27, A34 and A27. Traffic officers are deployed to keep vehicles moving.

We recognise that recent performance on the Barton Line has been below what passengers rightly expect. The Department is aware that East Midlands Railway (EMR) is working to improve train performance on this route. To achieve this, EMR:

• Introduced a revised timetable in December 2025 to reduce the impact of service disruption and delays;
• is continuing with its major train refurbishments to improve reliability and performance;
• is continuing to work with Network Rail to address infrastructure and operational issues.

The Government shares the concern about the impact diesel bus emissions have on air quality, and ultimately to children's health.

The NO2 programme has provided £576m to support local authorities (LAs) to improve air quality in areas of nitrogen oxide exceedances. This funding is for LAs to scope and develop measures; implement, monitor and evaluate their measures; and provide mitigation funding for local people and businesses affected by their measures. Clean Air Zones have also been implemented in places where the local evidence shows they are the quickest route to reduce nitrogen dioxide pollution.

The most effective way to reduce bus emissions and improve air quality is to achieve an all zero emission bus (ZEB) fleet. As of March 2025, 12.4% of the bus fleet across England was zero emission, however we need to make further progress in accelerating bus decarbonisation.

We legislated in the Bus Services Act 2025 to ultimately prevent bus operators from using new non-ZEBs on local bus routes in England. This measure will provide confidence to the sector and stimulate the investment needed to deliver a fully zero emission fleet alongside the improved air quality benefits.

Separately, in April we announced £38m to deliver an additional 319 ZEBs through the Zero Emission Bus Regional Areas programme. Furthermore, the recent announcement of £15.6 billion over five years, to improve local transport in some of our largest city regions, allows local leaders to play a more active role in the delivery of local bus services and allocate some funding toward decarbonising their local fleets. Our smaller cities, towns and rural areas will also receive £2.3 billion from the Local Transport Grant.

Whilst we will not reverse the previous government’s decision to cancel Phase 2, we recognise concerns about rail capacity and connectivity between Birmingham and Manchester. We are reviewing our plans for future connectivity in the Midlands and the North, and we hope to say more soon, including our plans for land and property between Birmingham and Crewe.

The Lancaster incident shows how Network Rail put safety first while using every tool to verify quickly. An AI-generated image suggested bridge damage. Network Rail treated it like any unsolicited and unconfirmed report, such as a call from a member of the public, but acted fast.

Response teams apply established protocols: caution trains, suspend movements, and deploy staff for inspection. At the same time, Network Rail verify and triangulate the facts from such reports using all available tools including driver reports, CCTV, structural monitoring systems, and digital analytics. This parallel approach speeds up assurance without compromising safety.

AI and public reports can be useful inputs, but they do not replace evidence. Network Rail’s commitment is clear: act swiftly, verify carefully, and keep passengers and staff safe.

We are fully committed to supporting rail freight growth, recognising its significant economic and environmental potential. My officials regularly speak with major users of rail freight in the UK as part of our efforts to grow the rail freight industry.

We have previously discussed with Royal Mail their decision to retire their dedicated mail train fleet. However, as it is a private company, not owned nor controlled by the Government, the mode Royal Mail choose to utilise for transporting mail is a commercial decision for their business.

The Department for Transport sets noise controls at Heathrow and Gatwick airports, including night movement and night noise quota count limits. Under Environmental Noise Regulations, these airports are also obliged to produce noise action plans. For Farnborough, appropriate noise controls are a matter for Rushmoor Borough Council as the local authority responsible for planning.

The UK has legally binding targets to reduce emissions from damaging air pollutants which will lead to improvements in air pollution around airports. The UK has also played a leading role in the International Civil Aviation Organization to develop strict standards for pollution from aircraft. Airports may be subject to specific planning conditions and environmental obligations set by local authorities, such as Farnborough’s air quality and odour monitoring scheme.

The Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) publishes a list of all its outstanding recommendations in its annual report. Those in receipt of RAIB recommendations must respond within three months with their plans and timescales for implementation or, if no action is planned, with their reasons. It is then for the Office of Rail and Road, as the independent rail safety regulator, to ensure these recommendations are duly considered and, where appropriate, acted on.

The Government does not plan to require train operating companies to allow use of reusable cups at onboard catering facilities and provide free drinking water onboard trains. Drinking water is now available onboard some trains and at many stations. Train operating companies are required to reduce waste and increase recycling annually, but the Government does not specify how these targets should be achieved.

The agreed industry scale rate for lorry drivers’ overnight subsistence is not uprated in line with inflation. Normally the relevant industry body, in this case the Road Haulage Association, would approach His Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC) to discuss changing the industry rate. If individual haulage operators think the industry rate is inadequate, they would need to provide evidence to HMRC that drivers are incurring expenses that exceed the current benchmark rate to have a bespoke rate agreed.

Employers can choose to reimburse drivers for the actual subsistence costs incurred when staying away from home, rather than pay the set benchmark scale rate.

The Government recognises the vital role that surface access will play as part of any future expansion of Heathrow Airport. As part of the review of the Airports National Policy Statement (ANPS), launched on 22 October 2025, we will consider the transport infrastructure required to support a third runway. This will include considering the impacts for travellers from different regions and the surrounding communities.

While it would not be appropriate to pre-empt the outcome of the ANPS review at this stage, it will be the responsibility of any expansion promoter to set out a surface access strategy demonstrating how they will meet the requirements set out in the ANPS as part of any Development Consent Order (DCO) application.

The Electric Car Grant criteria were designed to support British drivers to access affordable, sustainably manufactured electric vehicles. Over 40,000 drivers have benefited from this scheme to date. The grant's design was not discussed with industry during its development to avoid market distortion.

Following launch, the Department has engaged closely with vehicle manufacturers and will continue to do so as the grant develops. All grants are regularly reviewed to ensure value for money and eligibility criteria may evolve over time.

Officials continue to monitor the grant and assess its impact as the market responds.

The Electric Car Grant criteria were designed to support British drivers to access affordable, sustainably manufactured electric vehicles. Over 40,000 drivers have benefited from this scheme to date. The grant's design was not discussed with industry during its development to avoid market distortion.

Following launch, the Department has engaged closely with vehicle manufacturers and will continue to do so as the grant develops. All grants are regularly reviewed to ensure value for money and eligibility criteria may evolve over time.

Officials continue to monitor the grant and assess its impact as the market responds.

The Electric Car Grant criteria were designed to support British drivers to access affordable, sustainably manufactured electric vehicles. Over 40,000 drivers have benefited from this scheme to date. The grant's design was not discussed with industry during its development to avoid market distortion.

Following launch, the Department has engaged closely with vehicle manufacturers and will continue to do so as the grant develops. All grants are regularly reviewed to ensure value for money and eligibility criteria may evolve over time.

Officials continue to monitor the grant and assess its impact as the market responds.

A Science Based Target validated by the Science Based Target Initiative is an eligibility requirement for the Electric Car Grant. Further details are included in the grant application guidance.

The Science Based Target Initiative is independent of Government and was not involved in the grant's creation to avoid potential market distortion.

All grants are kept under continuous monitoring and reviewed regularly to ensure they continue to deliver value for money.

A Science Based Target validated by the Science Based Target Initiative is an eligibility requirement for the Electric Car Grant. Further details are included in the grant application guidance.

The Science Based Target Initiative is independent of Government and was not involved in the grant's creation to avoid potential market distortion.

All grants are kept under continuous monitoring and reviewed regularly to ensure they continue to deliver value for money.

A Science Based Target validated by the Science Based Target Initiative is an eligibility requirement for the Electric Car Grant. Further details are included in the grant application guidance.

The Science Based Target Initiative is independent of Government and was not involved in the grant's creation to avoid potential market distortion.

All grants are kept under continuous monitoring and reviewed regularly to ensure they continue to deliver value for money.

The government is committed to delivering greener transport and we are making significant progress in supporting aviation to become more sustainable. The government engages with the aviation sector and trade unions on aviation decarbonisation, including via the Jet Zero Taskforce. The Taskforce aims to identify, and advise on, unblocking key barriers to delivering greener aviation.

On 4 December 2025, I met the aviation sector Trade Unions and made clear my support for decarbonisation and addressing the skills gap.

Any proposed changes to policy in the Airports National Policy Statement as a result of the ongoing review will be subject to public consultation in summer 2026, providing the opportunity for aviation workers and their unions to respond. We have also recently published our approach to stakeholder engagement which sets out how we intend to gather a broad range of views as part of the review, which can be found here: Engagement during the Airports National Policy Statement review - GOV.UK

Rail freight operations are typically long distance and cross-border in the UK. Under the Railways Bill, Government has proposed to place a duty on Great British Railways to promote the use of rail freight, meaning freight operators will benefit from a longer-term strategic approach to decision making on the railway which includes charging to use the network.

As part of our continued support for the wider freight sector, the Department has operated the Mode Shift Revenue Support scheme (MSRS) since 2010. The scheme is designed to encourage modal shift by assisting with the operating costs associated with running rail or inland water freight transport instead of road, where rail or inland waterway transport is more expensive. The relative costs have been reviewed to ensure that the scheme continues to achieve its goal to support modal shift and are kept under review. Any matters relating to fuel duty comes under the remit of His Majesty’s Treasury.

On 23 November the Chancellor and Transport Secretary announced that rail fares will be frozen for the first time in 30 years. Over a billion journeys are going to benefit from this freeze with season tickets, anytime returns on commuter routes, and off-peak returns on longer-distance routes all subject to the freeze. Commuters from Yeovil to Exeter or Bristol could save around £200 across the year, while commuters to Weymouth could save around £100.

Planned engineering works may impact Yeovil constituents using South Western Railway and Great Western Railway services over the Christmas period. South Western Railway customers using services towards London Waterloo will be affected by major engineering works between London Waterloo and Clapham Junction and there will be some alterations to services on the Great Western Railway network. Passengers are advised to use journey planners to check before they travel.