Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Grant Shapps and Andrew Lewer

Thursday 24th October 2019 Commons Chamber

[Andrew Lewer (Northampton South) (Con)]

23. What steps he is taking to improve rail performance.

[The Secretary of State for Transport (Grant Shapps)]

I take the performance of the railway very seriously and think that trains should run on time, which is why I have changed the industry’s performance standard from trains being five or even 10 minutes late to their being on time to the minute.

--- Later in debate ---

[Grant Shapps]

I know that my right hon. Friend recently met the rail Minister, my hon. Friend the Member for Daventry (Chris Heaton-Harris). He is absolutely right: poor services are unacceptable, which is why the Williams review is so important. I do not agree that nationalisation is the answer, not least because railway numbers have doubled since privatisation. [Interruption.] It has a lot to do with the £6 billion invested by the private companies. However, there is much, much more to be done, and we will be doing more in time.

[Andrew Lewer]

Will the Minister elaborate on the plans to open the proposed Market Harborough line as part of the Oxford to Cambridge expressway and the benefits that it will bring to the local economy, especially around Northampton?