Asked by: Josh Fenton-Glynn (Labour - Calder Valley)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what proportion of services on the Calder Valley line operated with fewer carriages than planned in (a) peak and (b) off peak hours over the last 12 months.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department for Transport does not typically hold data on short formations by route. The Short Formations metric which is reported as a Key Performance Indicator is calculated by comparing the capacity operated against a benchmark level of planned capacity, which is agreed by each operator and reviewed at the twice-yearly timetable changes.
The services in scope for the metric vary by operator and it is not therefore possible to compare between operators or against the network average.
Separately, data from Northern Trains show that the percentage of Calder Valley services with fewer carriages than planned is below:
• Blackpool North to York: 5.8%
• Halifax to Hull: 10.3%
• Leeds to Chester: 21.8%
• Leeds to Manchester Victoria: 22.5%
• Leeds to Wigan: 12.7%
• All Northern routes: 7%
This data covers the period November 2024 until June 2026. I have asked Northern Trains to respond to you directly with further data.
Asked by: Josh Fenton-Glynn (Labour - Calder Valley)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how the rate of short formed services on the Calder Valley line compares with the network average.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department for Transport does not typically hold data on short formations by route. The Short Formations metric which is reported as a Key Performance Indicator is calculated by comparing the capacity operated against a benchmark level of planned capacity, which is agreed by each operator and reviewed at the twice-yearly timetable changes.
The services in scope for the metric vary by operator and it is not therefore possible to compare between operators or against the network average.
Separately, data from Northern Trains show that the percentage of Calder Valley services with fewer carriages than planned is below:
• Blackpool North to York: 5.8%
• Halifax to Hull: 10.3%
• Leeds to Chester: 21.8%
• Leeds to Manchester Victoria: 22.5%
• Leeds to Wigan: 12.7%
• All Northern routes: 7%
This data covers the period November 2024 until June 2026. I have asked Northern Trains to respond to you directly with further data.
Asked by: Josh Fenton-Glynn (Labour - Calder Valley)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what proportion of services on the Calder Valley line have been short formed in each of the last 24 months.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department for Transport does not typically hold data on short formations by route. The Short Formations metric which is reported as a Key Performance Indicator is calculated by comparing the capacity operated against a benchmark level of planned capacity, which is agreed by each operator and reviewed at the twice-yearly timetable changes.
The services in scope for the metric vary by operator and it is not therefore possible to compare between operators or against the network average.
Separately, data from Northern Trains show that the percentage of Calder Valley services with fewer carriages than planned is below:
• Blackpool North to York: 5.8%
• Halifax to Hull: 10.3%
• Leeds to Chester: 21.8%
• Leeds to Manchester Victoria: 22.5%
• Leeds to Wigan: 12.7%
• All Northern routes: 7%
This data covers the period November 2024 until June 2026. I have asked Northern Trains to respond to you directly with further data.
Asked by: Josh Fenton-Glynn (Labour - Calder Valley)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions has her Department held with Northern Trains Limited on the proportion of its services on the Calder Valley Line which have been short‑formed.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
DFT Operator (DFTO) holds routine discussions with Northern on matters of performance, which will include capacity issues such as short-forming. DFTO expects all operators to introduce appropriate measures in response to expected demand and holds operators to account for short-formed services.
Asked by: Josh Fenton-Glynn (Labour - Calder Valley)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment has been made of the potential impact of short‑formed trains on passenger overcrowding on the Calder Valley line.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
DFT Operator (DFTO) holds routine discussions with Northern on matters of performance, which will include capacity issues such as short-forming. DFTO expects all operators to introduce appropriate measures in response to expected demand and holds operators to account for short-formed services.
Asked by: Josh Fenton-Glynn (Labour - Calder Valley)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what interim measures are being considered to reduce short‑forming on heavily used commuter routes such as the Calder Valley line.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Operators are working to match capacity to demand. Services are actively managed on the day to ensure available capacity is deployed where needed and in response to changing resources, demand and disruption.
Asked by: Josh Fenton-Glynn (Labour - Calder Valley)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how short-formed services are accounted for in performance metrics compared with cancellations and delays.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department expects train operators to provide appropriate capacity in response to expected demand, particularly during peak periods, and to minimise short formations wherever possible, only using them where this is judged to be in passengers' overall interests and helps maintain wider service delivery.
The Department's Short Formations metric is calculated by comparing the capacity operated against a benchmark level of planned capacity, which is agreed by each operator and reviewed at the twice-yearly timetable changes. The services in scope for the metric vary by operator. For some operators it covers all services, while for others it focuses on those where short formations would have the greatest passenger impact, such as weekday peak services.
For public sector operators, the Short Formations metric is a Key Performance Indicator reported each four-weekly rail period. For operators holding National Rail Contracts, the Short Formations metric forms part of the operational performance regime. This regime also includes TOC-on-Self delay minutes and TOC-on-Self cancellations, which measure performance factors within the operator's control, as well as whole-industry measures – All Cancellations, Time to 3 punctuality and Time to 15 punctuality. Performance against these metrics forms part of the calculation of the performance-based fee payable to private sector operators.
Asked by: Josh Fenton-Glynn (Labour - Calder Valley)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether the Department collects data on passengers unable to board resulting from short‑formed services on the Calder Valley line.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department does not collect this data centrally.
Asked by: Josh Fenton-Glynn (Labour - Calder Valley)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment she has made of the adequacy of levels of capacity and reliability on the Calder Valley line; and what plans she has to address performance issues.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Government is part way through a long term investment plan for the Calder Valley line that provides more capacity, improved reliability and better connections to opportunities in Manchester, Bradford and Leeds. From May 27, the government expect to see longer trains and performance improvements resulting from the simplification of operations around Manchester Victoria. Northern will start to introduce new trains from the early 2030s.
As announced in January phase three of the Northern Powerhouse Rail programme will deliver improved connections between Manchester and Bradford. To support upcoming decisions on a new Bradford station, we will assess initial options for Bradford–Manchester connectivity as part of the station business case. This assessment will include consideration of the Calder Valley line.
Asked by: Josh Fenton-Glynn (Labour - Calder Valley)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of upgrading the Calder Valley line on economic growth.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Government is part way through a long term investment plan for the Calder Valley line that provides more capacity, improved reliability and better connections to opportunities in Manchester, Bradford and Leeds. From May 27, the government expect to see longer trains and performance improvements resulting from the simplification of operations around Manchester Victoria. Northern will start to introduce new trains from the early 2030s.
As announced in January phase three of the Northern Powerhouse Rail programme will deliver improved connections between Manchester and Bradford. To support upcoming decisions on a new Bradford station, we will assess initial options for Bradford–Manchester connectivity as part of the station business case. This assessment will include consideration of the Calder Valley line.