Asked by: Oliver Colvile (Conservative - Plymouth, Sutton and Devonport)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what progress has been made on improving of the reliability and availability of wifi and mobile connectivity on trains between (a) Penzance and London and (b) Taunton and Bristol.
Answered by Paul Maynard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
Great Western is providing free Wi-Fi on a large majority of their services and Cross Country will be providing this from April 2018.
Our priority is for passengers to experience a reliable and highly available mobile service and we will be securing this within future franchises.
Great Western’s new franchise is due to start from December 2019.
Cross Country’s new franchise is due to start from June 2019.
Asked by: Oliver Colvile (Conservative - Plymouth, Sutton and Devonport)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to paragraph 3.19 of the Autumn Statement 2016, how much of the £450 million funding for trialling digital signalling technology to expand capacity and improve reliability will be allocated to improving signalling on the Great Western line from Paddington to Cornwall.
Answered by Paul Maynard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
At the 2016 Autumn Statement, Government announced £450 million to trial innovative digital rail signalling technology to increase capacity and reliability on our railways. A range of schemes are being considered and the exact location and scope will be announced in due course.
Asked by: Oliver Colvile (Conservative - Plymouth, Sutton and Devonport)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what improvements to WiFi coverage on trains are being made by Great Western Railways.
Answered by Paul Maynard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
First Great Western InterCity and Thames Valley trains have been fitted with on-train Wi-Fi. Following the Direct Award Great Western Railway is fitting free Wi-Fi to all Super Express Trains, Electrical Multiple Units and long term diesel trains remaining in the fleet.
The fitted trains include the new AT300 trains providing London to South West services. Great Western Railway state in their ‘Annual Stakeholder Report 2015-16’ that this work will be completed by December 2018.
Asked by: Oliver Colvile (Conservative - Plymouth, Sutton and Devonport)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate his Department has made of the economic benefits of the construction of a second rail line into the South West.
Answered by Claire Perry
The reinstatement of the Exeter - Okehampton - Plymouth route and the economic value of re-opening it is being looked at by the Peninsula Rail Task Force (PRTF). They will report to the Secretary of State in July 2016.
Asked by: Oliver Colvile (Conservative - Plymouth, Sutton and Devonport)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what funding his Department has allocated to Plymouth City Council for pothole maintenance since 2010; and what estimate he has made of how many potholes have been repaired as a result of that funding.
Answered by Andrew Jones
The Department for Transport allocated funding of £4.7 billion for local highways maintenance to local highway authorities in England from 2010 to 2015 which would be enough to repair approximately 89 million potholes based on an average of £53 per pothole. A further £6.1 billion is being allocated between now and 2021, including £250 million as part of a Pothole Action Fund, which could fix a further 115 million potholes. For Plymouth City Council we are providing over £25 million for local highways maintenance between 2010 and 2021 enough to help them repair over 400,000 potholes.
Asked by: Oliver Colvile (Conservative - Plymouth, Sutton and Devonport)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the condition of local roads.
Answered by Andrew Jones
The Government fully understand how important it is to have a reliable quality road network, which is why we are providing a record £6 billion for local highways maintenance. We have also created the pothole action fund with a budget of £250 million dedicated to delivering better journeys.
Asked by: Oliver Colvile (Conservative - Plymouth, Sutton and Devonport)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether Sir Peter Hendy's work to re-plan the Network Rail enhancements programme in Control Period 5, 2014-19, takes account of maximising the journey time benefit for the South West peninsula by use of the new high-speed AT300 trains which are due to be introduced in December 2018.
Answered by Claire Perry
Sir Peter Hendy has been asked to review Network Rail’s enhancement portfolio, so that works may be delivered over a more realistic timeframe. The terms of reference are clear that work is to be prioritised to take “particular account of interfaces with other infrastructure programmes and the need to deliver the required passenger and freight benefits, franchise or rolling stock commitments”. Sir Peter Hendy is due to report later in the Autumn.
Asked by: Oliver Colvile (Conservative - Plymouth, Sutton and Devonport)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what geological assessment his Department has made to ensure the stability of (a) the sea wall at Dawlish, (b) the cliff at Teignmouth and (c) the line between Newton Abbott and Plymouth.
Answered by Claire Perry
Network Rail is carrying out a further study to look at options to increase the long term geo-environmental resilience of the existing main line from Exeter to Newton Abbot. The study looks at the coastal and sea wall elements and the cliffs. It is due to be fully complete in April 2016 with an options assessment report available by the end of 2015. There has been no geological assessment of the rail route from Newton Abbot to Plymouth.
Asked by: Oliver Colvile (Conservative - Plymouth, Sutton and Devonport)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when his Department will decide whether to order additional new rolling stock from Hitachi to service the far South West; and if he will include a more powerful hybrid engine to account for the undulating geography of the South West in such an order.
Answered by Claire Perry
First Great Western’s procurement exercise for new trains to serve the South West is making good progress; and we expect them to submit final proposals to the Department for consideration over the summer. The new train fleet will have appropriate performance characteristics to operate on the far South West routes.
Asked by: Oliver Colvile (Conservative - Plymouth, Sutton and Devonport)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, which organisation will be responsible for the inquiry into the viability of the re-opening of Plymouth Airport.
Answered by Robert Goodwill
The Department for Transport is looking at how best to take this study forward and hopes to be in position to announce shortly how this will be undertaken. We recognise the need to consider the views of all stakeholders who have an interest in the site and take to account of previous studies that have been commissioned with regards to Plymouth airport.