Asked by: Alex Mayer (Labour - Dunstable and Leighton Buzzard)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if her Department will publish guidance on the process for establishing passenger transport executives.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department has no current plans to publish guidance on establishing a new Passenger Transport Executive. Setting up a new Passenger Transport Executive to coordinate local transport in its area would require amendments to legislation. Local and Combined Authorities already have a number of coordinating powers and functions in relation to transport. The English Devolution White Paper (December 2024) set out Government’s plans to provide additional transport powers and responsibilities to Local and Combined Authorities.
Asked by: Alex Mayer (Labour - Dunstable and Leighton Buzzard)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much funding her Department provided for retrofitting buses to reduce emissions under (a) the Clean Vehicle Retrofit Accreditation Scheme and (b) other relevant schemes in 2024.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Since 2017, the Government allocated approximately £100m toward the retrofitting of Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) technology. The Government has not provided any funding for the retrofitting of SCR technology in 2024.
Asked by: Alex Mayer (Labour - Dunstable and Leighton Buzzard)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what data her Department holds on how many and what proportion of buses have onboard connections for electronic devices in England.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
As of March 2024, there were 29,790 buses used by local bus operators in England. Around 28% of these buses, approximately 8,300, were equipped with charging points.
Asked by: Alex Mayer (Labour - Dunstable and Leighton Buzzard)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department is taking to help tackle changes in average bus speeds.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The government is committed to working with local transport authorities and the bus sector to deliver better, more reliable services for passengers.
At the Budget, the government confirmed over £1 billion in funding to improve bus services, protect vital routes and keep fares down. This includes over £700 million allocated to local councils to deliver bus service improvement plans (BSIPs). Councils can use the funding in whichever way they wish to improve bus services for all passengers, including investing in infrastructure or bus priority schemes to help reduce journey times.
We introduced the Bus Services Bill on 17 December, which will give local leaders the powers they need and the freedom to take decisions to deliver their local transport priorities and ensure networks meet the needs of the communities who rely on them.
Asked by: Alex Mayer (Labour - Dunstable and Leighton Buzzard)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 14 October 2024 to Question 6923 on Euston Station: Passengers, what assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of progress in the implementation of crowd management improvements to Euston station required by the Office of Road and Rail.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Office of Rail and Road (ORR) closed its Improvement Notice served in respect of crowd management at Euston last year - on 15 December 2023.
As the duty holder, Network Rail is accountable for meeting health and safety and other legal responsibilities at Euston and the ORR is responsible for monitoring compliance.
The Department recognises the need for urgent improvements to passenger experience at Euston and welcomes the improvements Network Rail is making under its five-point plan announced on 4 October.
Asked by: Alex Mayer (Labour - Dunstable and Leighton Buzzard)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many DVSA delegated driving examiner training slots are scheduled for 2025.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) is committed to the delegated examiner scheme and recognise the flexibility this provides with regards to heavy goods vehicles, passenger carrying vehicles and the emergency services in managing the availability of suitably qualified drivers.
DVSA are currently not able to provide plans for delegated training in 2025. DVSA are continuing to develop a training schedule for organisations who require delegated examiners. This approach will need to balance all of the demands on DVSA’s training resource.
Asked by: Alex Mayer (Labour - Dunstable and Leighton Buzzard)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the oral statement entitled Rail Performance of 11 November 2024, Official Report, column 517, when she plans to issue a private train operating company with three months' notice that it will be taken into public ownership.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Secretary of State announced on 4 December that South Western Railway’s services will transfer into public ownership on 25 May 2025, followed by c2c’s on 20 July 2025 and Greater Anglia’s in autumn 2025. No expiry notice needs to be issued to South Western Railway or c2c as their contracts are already set to expire on those dates. An expiry notice will be issued to Greater Anglia in due course.
Asked by: Alex Mayer (Labour - Dunstable and Leighton Buzzard)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what her planned timetable is to publish her Department's strategy on rolling stock procurement.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Government is in the early stages of formulating a rolling stock strategy. The strategy will include considerations around the timelines for new build and refurbishments which will provide more visibility to the rolling stock market.
Once established, GBR will take the strategy forward providing a long-term approach to future rolling stock needs and helping to secure better value from the private rolling stock market.
Asked by: Alex Mayer (Labour - Dunstable and Leighton Buzzard)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will make a comparative estimate of the cost per mile of new (a) busways, (b) ultra light rail and (c) conventional train systems.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The estimated costs per mile for new local transportation infrastructure in England can vary significantly based on numerous factors, including specific project conditions and requirements, geography, urban density, and land values.
Responsibility for local transport is largely devolved in England, where each local authority is responsible for the operations and financial sustainability of its network. This includes for upgrades and any potential extensions to existing busways and light rail systems.
Local authorities are best place to identify possible opportunities and the potential benefits of local transport schemes. The Department encourages local authorities to take a mode neutral approach to local transport, and works alongside them to ensure the development of proportionate solutions to local transport issues.
Rail project costs also vary significantly from project to project based on type of project, scale of intervention, geography and supply chain status.
Asked by: Alex Mayer (Labour - Dunstable and Leighton Buzzard)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what her Department’s policy is on funding for Community Rail Partnerships, in the context of the Passenger Railway Services (Public Ownership) Act 2024.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
My Department is committed to supporting the community rail movement. Currently, Community Rail Partnerships are funded by their Train Operating Company, with funding amounts agreed as part of the annual business planning process. The process for the next financial year is currently underway.