Asked by: Lord Berkeley (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many passenger trains were cancelled due to the failure of staff to work on rest days for each of the last four weekends for which data are available, broken down by train operating company.
Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
Train cancellations including those caused by a lack of available train crew are recorded by Network Rail and published by the Office of Rail and Road. However, the reason for the crew’s absence is not recorded. The Department works closely with its operators to secure improvements where they are not meeting expectations but does not routinely record cancellation data by day and cause.
Asked by: Lord Berkeley (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the finding by PA News Agency that 27,837 British drivers were convicted of drink-driving multiple times in the 11 years to 20 July; and what steps they are taking to address drink-driving.
Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
This Government takes road safety very seriously and reducing those killed and injured on our roads is a key priority. That is why we have announced our intention to publish a new Road Safety Strategy, the first in over a decade. We will set out next steps on this in due course.
There is strict enforcement and tough penalties are in place for those who choose to put lives at risk by drink driving, with repeat offenders placed on a High-Risk Offender (HRO) scheme. If you are a HRO, you will not get your new licence after a driving ban until you can prove you are fit to drive again. You will need to pass a medical examination with one of DVLA’s appointed doctors.
The Department for Transport’s THINK! campaign aims to reduce the number of people killed and seriously injured on the roads in England and Wales by changing attitudes and behaviours among those at highest risk. This includes regular THINK! campaigns to tackle drink driving, primarily targeting male drivers aged 17-24 who are overrepresented in drink-drive casualties.
Asked by: Lord Berkeley (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the reason for the failure of the Class 802 trains at Dawlish during a sea storm on 29 September.
Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
Great Western Railway and Hitachi as manufacturer and maintainer of the Class 802 fleet, are working together to understand the reasons behind the loss of traction on two services on the sea wall at Dawlish, and to minimise incidents like this in future.
Bi-directional signalling installed at Dawlish enables trains to operate on the landward track in both directions which can provide some protection for rolling stock from storms.
Asked by: Lord Berkeley (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government, following cancellation of parts of HS2 in October 2023, which remaining HS2 investments they plan to re-designate for short-term rail projects over the next 10 years.
Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
This government is currently reviewing the position it has inherited on rail infrastructure, and will consider how we address capacity needs whilst maintaining financial discipline. We will set out our plans in due course.
Asked by: Lord Berkeley (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to require all new passenger trains to be built with step-free access through at least one set of doors per carriage.
Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
The Government is committed to ensuring that everyone has the same access to the rail network regardless of their needs. When procuring new trains operators are expected to minimise the height of the train door relative to the standard platform height to improve access and minimise risks for all passengers.
Under current accessibility requirements contained within the Persons with Reduced Mobility National Technical Specification Notice, operators are required to provide boarding ramps to provide step-free access to passengers boarding or alighting from trains.
Step-free access is also possible with existing rolling stock at stations which have been modified with raised platforms or built to enable level boarding.
Asked by: Lord Berkeley (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government which types of passenger train operating on which routes allow wheelchair users to board and alight without assistance.
Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
There are a number of classes of rolling stock currently in use, or being introduced into service, that feature lower floors and retractable steps to fill gaps between the train and the platform.
The units are Class 745 and Class 755 operating on routes with Greater Anglia, Class 231 and Class 756 operating on routes with Transport for Wales, and Class 777 on routes with Merseyrail.
Asked by: Lord Berkeley (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of (1) the effect of the planned reductions in the percentage discounts for student, senior, services and other railcards on numbers of rail passengers; and (2) the effect of the ensuing increase in fares on the overall cost of passenger railway to the Government.
Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
The cost of railcards has not increased in ten years. This minor revision applies railcard discounts in line with the advertised ‘1/3 off’. We expect it to have a minimal impact on passengers and the cost of the railway to government, given it is not anticipated to have a material impact on revenues or demand.
Asked by: Lord Berkeley (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what funding they are making available for the development of Northern Powerhouse Rail between now and April 2025; and how many staff are currently engaged on this project.
Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
The Northern Powerhouse Rail accounting officer assessment summary published on 30 July set out that £54m has been budgeted for development work on the scheme in 2024/25. Expenditure of a further £34m is anticipated on the High Speed Rail (Crewe – Manchester) Bill, excluding purchase costs for land and property.
There are around 40 full-time equivalent officials in the Department for Transport working on Northern Powerhouse Rail. This is reflective of the current stage of development and proposals. The Department for Transport is supported in its development of Northern Powerhouse Rail by Network Rail, HS2 Ltd and Transport for the North.
Asked by: Lord Berkeley (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to recent reports of further degradation of the structure of the SS Richard Montgomery, what precautions are planned to make safe the explosives in the ship.
Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
There is no indication that the further degradation of the structure of the SS Richard Montgomery, which is to be expected given the vessel’s age and location, has increased the risk associated with the wreck.
Following expert advice, work continues to reduce the height of the wreck’s three masts.
We will continue to monitor the site and undertake detailed surveys to assess the wreck’s condition which will inform future management strategies.
Asked by: Lord Berkeley (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what are the expected passenger flow numbers from the Great Western station to be opened at Old Oak Common (1) on HS2 to Slough, London Heathrow and Reading, and (2) on inter-city trains west of Reading at peak hours.
Answered by Lord Davies of Gower - Shadow Minister (Home Office)
Passenger numbers at Old Oak Common will depend on multiple factors including: what HS2 services are running at that point (including whether Euston has opened as the London terminus); the assumed Great Western Main Line calling pattern; and the assumed Elizabeth Line train frequency.
Following the Network North announcement, detailed modelling and analysis is currently being undertaken for a number of different scenarios, with the aim to provide the best overall service provision for passengers across the rail system as a whole.
Detailed modelling and analysis is ongoing to determine the optimum service pattern under different scenarios, to inform decisions on calling patterns and frequencies at Old Oak Common.