Asked by: Lilian Greenwood (Labour - Nottingham South)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of East Midlands Railways' plans to recruit and train drivers ahead of the introduction of the 16 May 2021 timetable.
Answered by Chris Heaton-Harris - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
East Midlands Railway and Network Rail are conducting reviews into why the plans to uplift Regional Services in May proved unsustainable, and an assessment of staffing plans will be part of this which will be shared with the Department.
Asked by: Lilian Greenwood (Labour - Nottingham South)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what financial penalties East Midlands Railway will be subject to in response to their failure to operate the new timetable introduced with effect from 16 May 2021.
Answered by Chris Heaton-Harris - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
The information and actions taken by East Midlands Railway will be evidenced and form part of the processes in considering its next Performance Based Fee payment.
Asked by: Lilian Greenwood (Labour - Nottingham South)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what compensation will be payable to season ticket holders on East Midlands Railway affected by service reductions introduced via the temporary timetable introduced on 19 June 2021.
Answered by Chris Heaton-Harris - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
The reduction in services via the temporary timetable, sees the number of East Midlands Railway’s regional service provided each day similar to the numbers provided prior to its reinstatement in May, therefore there is no plan to compensate season ticket holders.
Asked by: Lilian Greenwood (Labour - Nottingham South)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions he or his officials have had with East Midlands Railway on the decision to remove services from the Regional Routes timetable introduced on 16 May 2021.
Answered by Chris Heaton-Harris - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
East Midlands Railway reinstated 100 per cent of its Regional route services on 16 May. The operation of this timetable has not proved to be robust due to the introduction of different fleet, traincrew issues and sickness which East Midlands Railway communicated to officials and key stakeholders in early June. East Midlands Railway’s proposal to scale back the advertised service to one that could be reliably delivered was discussed in advance with the Department.
Asked by: Lilian Greenwood (Labour - Nottingham South)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to rebuild public confidence in using public transport following the covid-19 outbreak.
Answered by Rachel Maclean
Passengers have been advised to plan ahead and continue to follow guidance on how to travel safely. This includes sanitising their hands regularly, wearing a face covering unless exempt, opening a window to increase ventilation where possible, and maintaining social distancing where possible. We are working with operators to ensure service levels are high as restrictions ease. Operators have already enhanced their cleaning regimes at stations and on-board services and hand sanitisers are widely available at stations.
The Department has also launched the ‘It’s everyone’s journey’ campaign to reset travel behaviours and support disabled people to return to the transport network. The Department is working closely with operators to improve busyness data and on industry communication campaigns to build public confidence in using public transport. As announced on 20 May alongside the Williams-Shapps Plan for Rail, the Department is introducing new flexible season tickets across England this year, with the new tickets going on-sale on 21 June and becoming available for use on 28 June.
Asked by: Lilian Greenwood (Labour - Nottingham South)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps is he taking to increase the use of public transport.
Answered by Rachel Maclean
Passengers have been advised to plan ahead and continue to follow guidance on how to travel safely. This includes sanitising their hands regularly, wearing a face covering unless exempt, opening a window to increase ventilation where possible, and maintaining social distancing where possible. We are working with operators to ensure service levels are high as restrictions ease. Operators have already enhanced their cleaning regimes at stations and on-board services and hand sanitisers are widely available at stations.
The Department has also launched the ‘It’s everyone’s journey’ campaign to reset travel behaviours and support disabled people to return to the transport network. The Department is working closely with operators to improve busyness data and on industry communication campaigns to build public confidence in using public transport. As announced on 20 May alongside the Williams-Shapps Plan for Rail, the Department is introducing new flexible season tickets across England this year, with the new tickets going on-sale on 21 June and becoming available for use on 28 June.
Asked by: Lilian Greenwood (Labour - Nottingham South)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps is he taking to ensure that people are aware that it is safe to use buses, trains and trams when appropriate Covid-19 safety measures are followed.
Answered by Rachel Maclean
Passengers have been advised to plan ahead and continue to follow guidance on how to travel safely. This includes sanitising their hands regularly, wearing a face covering unless exempt, opening a window to increase ventilation where possible, and maintaining social distancing where possible. We are working with operators to ensure service levels are high as restrictions ease. Operators have already enhanced their cleaning regimes at stations and on-board services and hand sanitisers are widely available at stations.
The Department has also launched the ‘It’s everyone’s journey’ campaign to reset travel behaviours and support disabled people to return to the transport network. The Department is working closely with operators to improve busyness data and on industry communication campaigns to build public confidence in using public transport. As announced on 20 May alongside the Williams-Shapps Plan for Rail, the Department is introducing new flexible season tickets across England this year, with the new tickets going on-sale on 21 June and becoming available for use on 28 June.
Asked by: Lilian Greenwood (Labour - Nottingham South)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 22 April 2021 to Question 183124, what assessment he has made of the level of funding necessary to make flat fares the norm on bus services.
Answered by Rachel Maclean
The National Bus Strategy sets out what we want to see on fares, including low flat fares (or maximum fares and daily price caps) to be the norm within cities and towns. We expect to see Bus Service Improvement Plans from local transport authorities set out how they will achieve these objectives, including their plans and costs for implementing new fares and ticketing policies.
Asked by: Lilian Greenwood (Labour - Nottingham South)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 22 April 2021 to Question 183125 on bus services, what plans he has for a public consultation on the meaning of socially necessary services.
Answered by Rachel Maclean
The Government has committed to issuing guidance on the meaning and role of socially necessary services. Further details will be announced in due course.