Oral Answers to Questions

Kate Osborne Excerpts

Thursday 28th January 2021 Commons Chamber

[Andrew Stephenson]

Doubling capacity on the Bootle branch line is expected to meet forecast demand for the foreseeable future. Recent forecasts, unconstrained by limits on infrastructure capacity, indicate demand for 40 trains per day in each direction by 2043. Two paths per hour in each direction of course provides capacity for 48 freight trains per day. However, the nature of some freight requirements, particularly for shorter movements and smaller loads, means that road transport can sometimes be more economically efficient.

[Kate Osborne (Jarrow) (Lab)]

What assessment he has made of the potential effect on passenger numbers of increasing rail fares by 2.6 per cent in March 2021.

[Kate Osamor (Edmonton) (Lab/Co-op)]

What assessment he has made of the potential effect on passenger numbers of increasing rail fares by 2.6 per cent in March 2021.

[The Minister of State, Department for Transport (Chris Heaton-Harris)]

This is the lowest fare rise in four years. Passengers are advised to reduce journeys as much as possible, and, as such, usage has fallen dramatically during the lockdowns. Passenger behaviours in the future are unbelievably uncertain, but a small fare rise will help to ensure that taxpayers are not unfairly overburdened for keeping vital rail services running.

[Kate Osborne [V]]

Because millions of commuters are now working from home, the RMT union has produced research on flexible rail ticketing that shows that if the cost of full-time season tickets was pro-rated to two, three or four days a week, these tickets would offer better value for money and encourage passengers back to our railways when it is safe to do so. Will the Minister update us on the Department’s plans with industry on flexible ticketing and when these tickets might be introduced?

[Chris Heaton-Harris]

I thank the hon. Lady for her very wise question. I welcome the work done by the RMT in this area, and a whole host of others. We are working with industry on what we can do with flexible ticketing going forward. We are wary that sending mixed messages at this time in trying to encourage people to buy tickets for future travel might not be the right thing to do, but I promise her that we are working closely with industry and expect to make announcements when we can.