Asked by: Blake Stephenson (Conservative - Mid Bedfordshire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she plans to take to improve the reliability of train services.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Improving railway performance and delivering reform is a top priority for the Department. Ministers continue to meet with Managing Directors of the worst performing train operators and their Network Rail counterparts to address poor performance and demand immediate action to raise standards. Furthermore, performance information will be displayed at stations, demonstrating transparency, and allowing passengers to hold us to account as we deliver change.
Asked by: Blake Stephenson (Conservative - Mid Bedfordshire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if her Department will make an assessment of the potential impact of train delays in (a) Q3 and (b) Q4 2024 on productivity.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Whilst the Department has not made an assessment of the impact of train delays on productivity, we recognise the inconvenience and costs felt by passengers, local communities and businesses arising from poor performance.
Ministers have been clear that rail services have been failing passengers. The Department expects passenger services currently operated by private sector operators under contract with the Secretary of State to transfer into public ownership over the next three years. The failures of the past three decades cannot be fixed overnight, but bringing train operations into public ownership is the first step in the government’s plans to improve the railways for passengers and taxpayers.
Asked by: Blake Stephenson (Conservative - Mid Bedfordshire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions she has had with Thameslink on the performance of services on the Bedford Line.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Recent levels of disruption experienced on Thameslink due to delays and cancellations are clearly not acceptable and passengers deserve better.
Ministers are meeting with the Managing Directors of all Train Operating Companies and their Network Rail counterparts to address poor performance and what is being done to improve it. Department officials also continually monitor the Train Operators’ performance and meet with them and Network Rail to ensure they deliver improvements to services.
Asked by: Blake Stephenson (Conservative - Mid Bedfordshire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what information her Department holds on the number of delayed services on the Bedford Line in (a) Q3 and (b) Q4 2024.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Information relating to the number of delayed services on the Bedford line is not held by the department. The Office of Rail and Road (ORR) publishes quarterly statistics on punctuality and reliability for passenger trains in Great Britain at: https://dataportal.orr.gov.uk/statistics/performance/passenger-rail-performance/. Table 3133 shows Train punctuality at recorded station stops by operator in Great Britain, quarterly from April 2014 to June 2024. The operators servicing the Bedford line are Govia Thameslink Railway and the East Midlands Railway.
Ministers have been clear that rail services have been failing passengers. Cancellations are at a ten-year high and punctuality is inconsistent across the network. We need to improve services for passengers and deliver better value for money for the taxpayer.
Ministers continue to meet with the Managing Directors of the worst performing TOCs and their Network Rail counterparts, to address poor performance and demand immediate action to raise standards.
Asked by: Blake Stephenson (Conservative - Mid Bedfordshire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department has taken to help the automotive industry meet the 2030 phase-out date for petrol and diesel cars.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
We will continue to support industry and consumers to make the switch to zero emission vehicles, with over £300 million announced in the Budget to drive uptake of electric vehicles and £2 billion to support the transition of domestic manufacturing and supply chain.
Asked by: Blake Stephenson (Conservative - Mid Bedfordshire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department has had discussions with Stellantis on the phase-out timeline for petrol and diesel cars.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Secretary of State met Stellantis on multiple occasions throughout the summer and more recently in relation to its manufacturing presence in the UK. The Department has close engagement with the vehicle industry and engages regularly on topics including the transition to zero emission vehicles.
Asked by: Blake Stephenson (Conservative - Mid Bedfordshire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she has had discussions with Network Rail on accelerating the delivery of Access for All schemes.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Rail Minister has had several meetings with Network Rail about improving delivery of access for all and can report that 32 stations are due to complete this financial year, the most since the programme was launched in 2006.
Asked by: Blake Stephenson (Conservative - Mid Bedfordshire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that stations without step free access are made accessible for all.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
We are carefully considering the best approach to accessibility at stations across Britain. This Government is committed to improving the accessibility of the railway and recognise the social and economic benefits this brings to communities.