Oral Answers to Questions

Iain Stewart Excerpts

Thursday 22nd July 2010 Commons Chamber

[Nick de Bois (Enfield North) (Con)]

3. What progress has been made on his Department’s review of rail franchising; and if he will make a statement.

[Iain Stewart (Milton Keynes South) (Con)]

9. What progress has been made on the Government’s review of rail franchising; and if he will make a statement.

[Brandon Lewis (Great Yarmouth) (Con)]

10. What progress has been made on the Government’s review of rail franchising; and if he will make a statement.

--- Later in debate ---

[Mrs Villiers]

We will ensure that the new rail franchising system imposes on train operators demanding performance requirements, based on passenger outcomes and passenger satisfaction. Operators that do not meet those demanding requirements will face serious sanctions that will include, in the most serious cases, termination of the franchise. We believe that longer franchises will lead to more private sector investment and the improvements to stations and railways that passengers want, to improve their journeys. Longer franchises will also enable train operators to build longer-term working relationships with Network Rail, which are so vital to ensure that our railways are run efficiently and deliver value for money.

[Iain Stewart]

Many of my constituents in Milton Keynes are angry that despite paying about £5,000 for annual season tickets and having undergone years of misery as the west coast main line was upgraded, they are still denied access to Virgin trains at peak hours; the trains either do not stop at all or—perversely—they do stop, but only to let people off, not on. The long-term solution is the extra capacity that High Speed 2 will deliver, but will my right hon. Friend give an undertaking that when the west coast main line franchise comes up for renewal in 2012, she will ensure that my constituents have fair access to high-speed services?

[Mrs Villiers]

All representations from the affected communities will be taken on board as the decisions are made. We hope that what will result from the rail franchising reforms on which we are consulting at the moment is a better and more intelligent and flexible approach to timetabling. That will enable the demands of passengers to be more readily met than they are by the current inflexible system. My hon. Friend is right that the long-term solution has to be a new high-speed rail line. There will come a time in the not-too-distant future when the west coast main line will be simply full to bursting and we will need to provide extra capacity. That will release more space for commuting and stopping services on the west coast main line.