Oral Answers to Questions

Robert Courts Excerpts

Thursday 24th October 2019 Commons Chamber

[Paul Maynard]

I will take no lectures from the hon. Lady on how to support the north economically, or indeed, in transport terms. I am delighted that she lives in a world of alternate reality—neither the Secretary of State nor I have received Mr Oakervee’s report. She clearly knows more than I do, or maybe she is making it up. [Interruption.]

[Robert Courts (Witney) (Con)]

4. What steps he is taking to improve rail performance.

[Sir Henry Bellingham (North West Norfolk) (Con)]

6. What steps he is taking to improve rail performance.

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[The Secretary of State for Transport (Grant Shapps)]

I take the performance of the railway very seriously and think that trains should run on time, which is why I have changed the industry’s performance standard from trains being five or even 10 minutes late to their being on time to the minute.

[Robert Courts]

Commuters in west Oxfordshire have long been frustrated by reliability problems on the Cotswold line. What support can Ministers offer me and the Cotswold line promotion group? The group is campaigning for further redoubling on the line, which will not only improve reliability but will give us scope to increase the services available.

[Grant Shapps]

I congratulate my hon. Friend on his tireless campaigning for improvements on the Cotswold line. The line will benefit very soon from the Great Western Railway timetable change in December, which will offer shorter journey times and more frequent services to key locations. Moreover, services from North Cotswold via Oxford and London will be restructured to deliver more, and more consistent, services. So I feel that my hon. Friend’s campaign is making progress.