Asked by: Shaun Davies (Labour - Telford)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of a direct train services from Shropshire (via Telford) to London on economic growth; and what her planned timetable is for announcing a decision on the application for the new line between Wrexham General and London Euston (via Telford).
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department for Transport provided a response to the Office of Rail and road regarding the live Open Access application from Wrexham, Shropshire & Midlands Railway to operate services between Wrexham General and London Euston on 4 February 2025. This letter set out our broad support for the proposal. We note the benefits of improved connectivity that these services would bring to a number of communities, but access to the rail network is ultimately a decision for the regulator, who will weigh stakeholder views against statutory duties and publish its decision in due course.
Asked by: Shaun Davies (Labour - Telford)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the (a) average, (b) shortest and (c) longest wait was for determination of an application for a new rail line by a private operator for each year that records are available.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Access to the rail network is a matter for the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) in its capacity as independent regulator for the rail industry.
ORR have advised that since 2020, it has determined four applications for wholly new open access services. ORR rejected one and approved three. The time taken to go through the industry processes and reach a decision on these applications was as follows:
- Grand Union Trains (London – Stirling): 126 days
- Grand Union Trains Application 1 (London – Carmarthen): 281 days
- Grand Union Trains Application 2 (London – Carmarthen): 163 days
- Go-op: 783 days
The Go-op process involved significant changes to the application from the applicant over the course of two years. For all of these applications, ORR took decisions within 6 weeks of receiving all relevant information from the parties.
Asked by: Shaun Davies (Labour - Telford)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she has had recent discussions with the Office of Road and Rail on reducing decision making times on the introduction of new rail routes (a) to and from London, (b) between London and Wales and (c) between Shropshire and London.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Access to the rail network is a matter for the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) in its capacity as independent regulator for the rail industry. The Department works closely with both ORR and Network Rail to ensure that information to inform access decisions is provided in as timely a manner as possible, however it is important that decisions are fully considered and potential impacts to taxpayers, the efficient operation of the network, and to other operators are properly assessed.
Asked by: Shaun Davies (Labour - Telford)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will publish a timetable for a decision on the funding of the M54-M6 North link.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Funding for the M54 to M6 Link Road is subject to the multi-year Spending Review, and assurances cannot be provided on individual projects until the conclusion of the Spending Review.
Asked by: Shaun Davies (Labour - Telford)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department is taking to help improve the safety of platform train interfaces at train stations.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Working with the industry, the Rail Safety and Standards Board (RSSB) has developed a comprehensive strategy to improve safety at the platform train interface (PTI) on the mainline railway. The strategy adopts a whole-system, safety by design, risk-based approach; which includes using human factors and data modelling to inform the design of infrastructure and rolling stock, launching safety campaigns such as ‘Respect the Edge’ to influence passenger behaviour and improve awareness of risks, and enhancing the skills and competence of dispatchers and guards by working with operators and the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) to improve the quality of training and guidance available to staff. This approach has seen PTI incidences decreasing year on year since 2020/2021.
Asked by: Shaun Davies (Labour - Telford)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will publish the performance of Transport for Wales trains from Aberystwyth to Birmingham International via Telford in both directions; and what steps she plans to take to help improve performance.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Contracting of Transport for Wales services is devolved to the Welsh Government. Performance information from across the rail network in Great Britain is published by the Office for Road and Rail (https://dataportal.orr.gov.uk/statistics/performance/passenger-rail-performance/); further details are available on operators' websites.
Asked by: Shaun Davies (Labour - Telford)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what her planned timetable is for funding the (a) M54 and (b) M6 North link road.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
A review of the Department’s capital spend portfolio has been commissioned, this will inform the Department’s new long-term strategy for transport, developing a modern and integrated network with people at its heart and ensuring that transport infrastructure can be delivered efficiently and on time. Assurances cannot be provided on individual projects, including the M54 to M6 Link Road, until the review is concluded.
Asked by: Shaun Davies (Labour - Telford)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the average length of paternity leave taken by staff in her Department was in each of the last three years.
Answered by Mike Kane - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Below is the average length of paternity leave, in working days, for each of the last 3 calendar years.
Calendar Year | Working days |
2021 | 9.83 |
2022 | 9.50 |
2023 | 9.39 |
Asked by: Shaun Davies (Labour - Telford)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many passengers used Telford Central train station in each year since 1994.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The station usage data is compiled by ORR and historic results going back to 1997 are publicly available through the following link: Estimates of station usage | ORR Data Portal, specifically under Table 1410 - Passenger entries and exits and interchanges by station (ods).
Asked by: Shaun Davies (Labour - Telford)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to improve the Birmingham to Shrewsbury (via Telford) railway line.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Midlands Connect, the sub-national transport body which researches, develops and progresses transport projects in the Midlands, are refreshing the Business Case for line speed improvements to this route. My officials are in regular contact with Midlands Connect to support them in this work, and I expect to receive a Business Case later this year.