Asked by: Lewis Cocking (Conservative - Broxbourne)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many train collisions with people have been reported in each train operating company's network area in the last 12 months; and how many people were involved in such collisions in each area.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The number of people struck by trains in the last 12 months within each of Network Rail’s regions and routes is set out below. This data shows whether the incident led to a fatality or injury, and if it was classified as a suspected suicide or as non-suicidal. The total number of people struck by trains over this period was 339.
NR Region | Fatalities | Injuries | ||
Suicidal | Non-suicidal | Suicidal | Non-suicidal | |
Eastern | 98 | 1 | 11 | 9 |
North West and Central | 63 | 3 | 11 | 8 |
Scotland's Railway | 16 | 0 | 2 | 1 |
Southern | 47 | 1 | 3 | 6 |
Wales and Western | 50 | 2 | 1 | 6 |
NR Route | Fatalities | Injuries | ||
Suicidal | Non-suicidal | Suicidal | Non-suicidal | |
Anglia | 29 | 1 | 4 | 1 |
East Coast | 20 | 0 | 2 | 4 |
East Midlands | 18 | 0 | 3 | 4 |
North & East | 31 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
Central | 18 | 0 | 5 | 2 |
North West | 35 | 3 | 5 | 5 |
West Coast Mainline South | 10 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
Scotland's Railway | 16 | 0 | 2 | 1 |
Kent | 12 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
Sussex | 16 | 0 | 2 | 1 |
Wessex | 19 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
Wales and Borders | 11 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
Western | 39 | 1 | 0 | 4 |
Asked by: Lewis Cocking (Conservative - Broxbourne)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to ensure the adequacy of the Street Manager service.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Street Manager service is closely managed by the Department, with officials also overseeing ongoing development and improvement of the service in line with Government Digital Services best practice. There is a governance group made up of elected representatives from the public and private sector whom officials meet monthly, and a small group of subject matter experts are consulted on a weekly basis. A roadmap setting out future enhancements of the service is agreed with the governance group and published every six months. Users can provide feedback and raise any concerns they have about the service at any point, and a yearly survey monitors satisfaction.
Asked by: Lewis Cocking (Conservative - Broxbourne)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department is taking to encourage local authorities to apply for lane rental schemes.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department is in the process of updating its lane rental guidance and has recently announced a new assessment process for lane rental applications to improve and streamline the application process for authorities. We have been speaking to authorities directly as part of a series of regional visits and are also working with the Highway Authorities and Utilities Committee (HAUC) to develop their guidance for local authorities who are considering applying for a scheme.
Asked by: Lewis Cocking (Conservative - Broxbourne)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many people were hit by a train across the railway network in the last 12 months; and what steps she taking to prevent such incidents.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
According to British Transport Police (BTP) data, from November 2023 to October 2024, 358 people have been struck by a train on the railway; of these, sadly 304 people lost their lives. Of the 304 who died, 297 of those are suspected to have taken their own life by suicide, and 6 died in rail accidents (with one classification pending).
The Department is committed to working with the rail industry to reduce the number of deaths by suicide. Each rail operator is responsible for delivering a suicide prevention plan and maintaining accreditation to the independently assessed Safeguarding on Rail Scheme. Their plan must include training of public-facing staff in suicide prevention, putting in place mitigation measures at stations and promoting avenues of help for vulnerable people at risk of suicide or self-harm.
The rail industry works together, using campaigns and education, physical barriers, training staff and working with charities to prevent these incidents.
BTP works in collaboration with its partners to ensure all incidents are managed swiftly and people are treated with dignity.
Network Rail has a long-standing relationship with The Samaritans and funds the ‘Small Talk Saves Lives’ campaign. Since launching in 2017, the campaign has successfully raised awareness within railway stations and other public settings about the need to trust your instincts and start a simple conversation if you think someone might need help.
Asked by: Lewis Cocking (Conservative - Broxbourne)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether it is her Department's policy to support the Crossrail 2 project.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Crossrail 2 has not received government funding since 2020 when the scheme was paused. The Department for Transport will be considering its future investment priorities as part of the current Spending Review.
Asked by: Lewis Cocking (Conservative - Broxbourne)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she plans to take to help tackle congestion on roads.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
This Government is committed to maintaining and renewing our road network so it can serve all road users, is safe, and tackles congestion. Traffic management on local roads is the responsibility of local traffic authorities who are best placed to understand local needs.
Local traffic authorities are subject to the statutory network management duty which requires them to manage their roads to secure the ‘expeditious movement’ of all traffic including pedestrians, with a view to reducing congestion, and they have a wide range of tools already available to them to enable this.
Asked by: Lewis Cocking (Conservative - Broxbourne)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many potholes her Department expects to be fixed in (a) 2024, (b) 2025, (c) 2026 and (d) 2027.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Government takes the condition of local roads very seriously and is committed to maintaining and renewing the local road network. To this end, the Government will provide authorities with funding to help them fix up to one million more potholes across England in each year of this parliament. Confirmation of highways maintenance funding for future years is a matter for the forthcoming Budget and Spending Review.
Highways maintenance funding typically covers a range of maintenance activities and local authorities are best placed to decide how to spend it according to local needs and priorities. Government expects authorities to invest in all parts of the highway including cycleways, bridges, and lighting columns, and not just the fixing of potholes.