Asked by: Chi Onwurah (Labour - Newcastle upon Tyne Central and West)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 14 November 2024 to Question 13473 on London North Eastern Railway: WiFi, what period the most recent report covers; and whether that report is publicly available.
Answered by Mike Kane - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Office of Rail and Road publishes complaints data on a quarterly basis for all rail operators. London North Eastern Railway also undertakes its own research to understand and respond to passenger needs. The latest Office of Rail and Road passenger complaints data is available on its website at the following link:
https://dataportal.orr.gov.uk/statistics/passenger-experience/passenger-rail-service-complaints
Asked by: Chi Onwurah (Labour - Newcastle upon Tyne Central and West)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she has made an assessment of the quality of wifi on London North Eastern Railway services; and if she will have discussions with that company on improving that wifi.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department is working closely with London North Eastern Railway (LNER) to ensure all aspects of onboard experience, including WiFi, meet customers’ expectations.
LNER reports on customer satisfaction to the Department every rail period and their most recent report indicates that Wifi is not a significant cause of customer dissatisfaction.
We remain open to new innovations which improve the provision of onboard Wi-Fi and LNER and NR are leading a project to improve Wi-Fi connectivity on the approach to Kings Cross.
Asked by: Chi Onwurah (Labour - Newcastle upon Tyne Central and West)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of the accessibility of (a) stations and (b) rolling stock on the Northumberland Line.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The six new stations on the Northumberland Line are being constructed in accordance with the appropriate accessibility standards and will need to demonstrate compliance as part of their acceptance into service. The rolling stock will be in compliance with the appropriate accessibility standards.
Asked by: Chi Onwurah (Labour - Newcastle upon Tyne Central and West)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to support innovation to make transport more accessible to deaf people.
Answered by Guy Opperman
The Department is proud to support innovation aimed at making transport more accessible for everyone, including deaf people. In July 2018 the Department published the Inclusive Transport Strategy. Its ambition is to create a transport system that provides equal access for disabled people by 2030 and includes a commitment to ensure future technology is designed inclusively and opportunities are sought to harness innovation.
Practical action includes the introduction of the accessible information regulations from October which will see improved audible and visible technology made a requirement for travel on local buses, supported by grant funding of £4.65m for small operator implementation costs. Almost £2m has been awarded to Transport Research Innovation Grants (TRIG) for small and medium sized enterprises and academia to solve accessibility challenges, including projects focused on improving information assistance for deaf people at railway stations. The First of a Kind (FOAK) programme, which promotes innovative new technologies on the railway network is funding three rail accessibility projects, aimed at improving the travel experience for people with hearing impairments. This includes projects aimed at converting travel information into British Sign Language (BSL) or subtitles through mobile phones or on-board information.
The Department has an active BSL communications working group, with BSL integrated into the It’s Everyone’s Journey inclusive transport campaign and the Air Passenger Travel Guide.
Asked by: Chi Onwurah (Labour - Newcastle upon Tyne Central and West)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment he has made of the (a) standard of wifi services provided by train operators, (b) trends in the standards of that service over the last three years and (c) effectiveness of incentives for train operators to provide high quality wifi services.
Answered by Huw Merriman
In general under the Department’s National Rail Contracts and Service Contracts, wifi quality standards are for train operators to determine. In 2020, the Department commissioned Transport Focus to undertake research of the availability and quality of internet and voice connectivity available to passengers. This provided a snapshot of the comparative performance.
The choice of mobile operator(s) – used to provide the mobile connection between the on-train wifi systems and the internet – and the coverage and technology (3G, 4G or 5G) that is available serving the rail corridor can vary considerably by individual route and region. SWR are developing superfast 5G Wi-Fi technology, which will be installed between Earlsfield and Basingstoke in 2024. This superfast trackside solution will be fully integrated with their existing on-board Wi-Fi service, delivering an enhanced connectivity solution for SWR mainline passengers.
We continue to work closely with Network Rail to improve connectivity on the rail corridor and Project Reach is a Network Rail led transaction seeking private sector investment in rail telecoms.
Asked by: Chi Onwurah (Labour - Newcastle upon Tyne Central and West)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of East West Rail on science and technology activities in locations on that route.
Answered by Huw Merriman
The Government has a strong desire to maintain and enhance our position as a global science and technology superpower and we recognise the importance of the Oxford-Cambridge region as a globally renowned hub of science, research and innovation, with businesses and universities that are leading the way in life sciences, space and green technologies. At the East West Rail Route Update Announcement in May 2023, it was reconfirmed that East West Rail would approach to Cambridge from the south, serving the new Cambridge South station, and promoting greater economic growth given the proximity of the Biomedical Campus to Cambridge South station.
Asked by: Chi Onwurah (Labour - Newcastle upon Tyne Central and West)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of the London North Eastern Railway Simpler Fares pilot scheme on the average cost to passengers.
Answered by Huw Merriman
The Department supported LNER to introduce its Simpler Fares trial and officials regularly meet with LNER to discuss progress. During the trial, the majority of passengers will find fixed or semi flexible fares to be the same or cheaper than the old super off-peak fare, and there will be more fixed fares available than before. LNER estimate as of 6th February that 55% of semi flexible tickets sold were cheaper than the old super off peak ticket.
The trial will be evaluated to understand its impact on passengers, and gather passenger feedback. The evaluation will be published in due course.
Asked by: Chi Onwurah (Labour - Newcastle upon Tyne Central and West)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to respond to feedback from passengers on the London North Eastern Railway Simpler Fares pilot scheme.
Answered by Huw Merriman
The Department supported LNER to introduce its Simpler Fares trial and officials regularly meet with LNER to discuss progress. During the trial, the majority of passengers will find fixed or semi flexible fares to be the same or cheaper than the old super off-peak fare, and there will be more fixed fares available than before. LNER estimate as of 6th February that 55% of semi flexible tickets sold were cheaper than the old super off peak ticket.
The trial will be evaluated to understand its impact on passengers, and gather passenger feedback. The evaluation will be published in due course.
Asked by: Chi Onwurah (Labour - Newcastle upon Tyne Central and West)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions his Department has had with London North Eastern Railway on the trial of the Simpler Fares pilot scheme.
Answered by Huw Merriman
The Department supported LNER to introduce its Simpler Fares trial and officials regularly meet with LNER to discuss progress. During the trial, the majority of passengers will find fixed or semi flexible fares to be the same or cheaper than the old super off-peak fare, and there will be more fixed fares available than before. LNER estimate as of 6th February that 55% of semi flexible tickets sold were cheaper than the old super off peak ticket.
The trial will be evaluated to understand its impact on passengers, and gather passenger feedback. The evaluation will be published in due course.
Asked by: Chi Onwurah (Labour - Newcastle upon Tyne Central and West)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of East West Rail on the journey time between Oxford and Cambridge.
Answered by Huw Merriman
Modelling conducted by the East West Rail Company and released as part of their Route Update Announcement in 2023 shows an estimated journey time of 89 minutes between Oxford and Cambridge by rail once East West Rail is completed, compared to a current journey time of 167 minutes by road during peak times.