Asked by: Samantha Dixon (Labour - City of Chester)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of railway station ticket office closures on people with disabilities; and what steps he is taking to mitigate the potential impact of railway station ticket office closures on people with disabilities.
Answered by Huw Merriman - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
When proposing major changes to ticket office opening hours, including closures, operators are required to take into account the adequacy of the proposed alternatives in relation to the needs of all passengers; and to include this in the notice of the proposal sent to other operators and passenger groups. We would also expect operators to consider other equality related needs and make this clear in the notice sent to other operators and passenger groups. The Department recently hosted roundtable discussions with industry and accessibility and transport groups to discuss this matter. We continue to engage with the Disabled Persons Transport Advisory Committee.
Together with the industry, we want to improve and modernise the passenger experience by moving staff out from ticket offices to provide more help and advice in customer focused roles. No currently staffed station will be unstaffed as a result of industry changes, and train operators will ensure staff are well located to meet passenger needs in future.
Asked by: Samantha Dixon (Labour - City of Chester)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department is taking steps to help ensure Avanti West Coast allocate an adequate provision of advance tickets on its Chester-London services.
Answered by Huw Merriman - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
The Department is aware of the impact delayed opening of journey reservations has had on passengers and officials are regularly monitoring Avanti West Coast’s plans to improve the situation. However, the compressed booking horizons have not materially impacted the allocation of advance tickets between Chester and London, or on any other route. Once tickets are available, the full range of fares is offered for customers. Passengers are advised to sign up to Avanti's advance ticket alert through its website to be notified when journeys are available to book.
Asked by: Samantha Dixon (Labour - City of Chester)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many local authorities fund the management and upkeep of historic scheduled monuments as part of their highways budget.
Answered by Richard Holden - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)
The Department does not hold this information.
Asked by: Samantha Dixon (Labour - City of Chester)
Question to the Department for Transport:
What assessment he has made of trends in the level of bus services in England since 2019.
Answered by Richard Holden - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)
The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in a significant impact to bus services and passenger numbers. To mitigate this, the Government has provided nearly £2 billion in emergency and recovery funding to bus operators and local transport authorities to keep vital bus services running. As a result of this support, bus services in England in 2020/21 ran at over 80% of pre-COVID levels, even though patronage and commercial fare revenue dropped significantly.
Asked by: Samantha Dixon (Labour - City of Chester)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the High-Level Output Specification and Statement of Funds Available for the railways, published on 1 December 2022, on what date he expects (a) to publish the next iteration of the Rail Network Enhancements Pipeline and (b) to make a statement on proposed improvements to Chester railway station.
Answered by Huw Merriman - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
Following the Autumn Statement on 17 November we are in the process of reviewing the Rail Network Enhancements Pipeline (RNEP) and will make the outcome public once that work is complete.
Having provided feedback on an initial Strategic Outline Business Case submitted by Cheshire West and Chester Council for enhancements at and around Chester Station, DfT officials look forward to receiving and considering an updated proposal from local stakeholders by March 2023.
Asked by: Samantha Dixon (Labour - City of Chester)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what contractual requirements he has placed on the Avanti West Coast train company on the restoration of the frequency of direct train services linking North Wales, Chester and London Euston; and what penalties will be imposed in the event of that operator failing to meet those standards.
Answered by Huw Merriman - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
Avanti West Coast (AWC) shared its recovery plan for the restoration of services prior to the short-term contract extension announced on 7 October. Both the Office of Rail and Road and Network Rail reviewed this plan and were supportive of the proposition, noting its full and successful delivery required trade union co-operation. The Department is monitoring AWC’s delivery, holding it to account as appropriate, and will use all due legal and contractual processes to take action, if any is appropriate to take.
On 11 December, Avanti West Coast implemented a timetable that restored the majority of pre-pandemic direct services between North Wales and London via Chester.
Asked by: Samantha Dixon (Labour - City of Chester)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, on what date he expects to announce the outcome of bids to the second round of the UK Levelling Up Fund for transport-related investments.
Answered by Richard Holden - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)
We aim to announce the results of the second round by the end of January, which will see much needed investment awarded to level up communities across the UK.
Asked by: Samantha Dixon (Labour - City of Chester)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when he will publish his full response to Sir Peter Hendy’s Union Connectivity Review.
Answered by Richard Holden - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)
Lord Peter Hendy’s independent Union Connectivity Review, published in November 2021, considered transport connectivity across the UK. We are considering his recommendations and will publish our response as soon as practicable.