Asked by: Stephen Morgan (Labour - Portsmouth South)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much the Great British Railways transition team has spent on (a) branding, (b) marketing, (c) advertising, (d) public relations and (e) social media.
Answered by Huw Merriman - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
A core part of Great British Railways Transition Team's remit since its creation has been to engage with the industry to prepare for a new industry guiding mind. To date it has spent £21k on branding, £255k on advertising, public relations, and social media and £0 on marketing. GBRTT have led on cross-industry initiatives such as the two Great British Rail Sales.
Asked by: Stephen Morgan (Labour - Portsmouth South)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will publish recorded incidents of Network Rail failing to meet maintenance standards set by the Office of Rail and Road in each of the last five years.
Answered by Huw Merriman - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
The Secretary of State does not hold data related to recorded incidents of Network Rail (NR) failing to meet maintenance standards set by the Office of Rail and Road (ORR). NR sets its own maintenance standards with the ORR seeking assurance that NR’s standards are in line with best practice and monitoring its compliance with health and safety law, including relevant maintenance standards. Given the volume of maintenance work NR is responsible for, it would be impractical for the ORR to monitor every activity, rather, the ORR reviews NR’s maintenance processes on a frequent basis using route-level safety data and 'deep dives' into specific technical issues.
Asked by: Stephen Morgan (Labour - Portsmouth South)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether there is any rolling stock in use that does not meet standards for (a) air quality and (b) workforce exposure limits set by the Office of Rail and Road.
Answered by Huw Merriman - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
The Government is committed to ensuring that the railway maintains the highest air quality standards to safeguard the health and well-being of passengers and rail staff. That is why the Department for Transport funded two air quality monitoring studies conducted by the Rail Safety and Standards Board on 13 different types of passenger train. These studies found that the air quality on rail services is within the legal Workplace Exposure Limits (WELs), approved by the Health and Safety Executive and enforced by the Office of Rail and Road.
The average age of rolling stock in Great Britain is 16.7 years, with a typical asset life of around 35 years. New diesel engines are regulated by non-road mobile machinery (NRMM) standards which came into effect for rail in 2006. These establish maximum emission levels for several air pollutants, including nitrous oxide and particulate matter. Therefore, there are engines in operation whose manufacture predates the latest air pollutant emission standards for railway diesel engines. As fleets are upgraded and replaced, they will comply with the latest emissions standards. By 2040, DfT has an ambition to phase-out diesel-only trains from the rail network.
Asked by: Stephen Morgan (Labour - Portsmouth South)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent discussions his Department has had with Alstom on their factory in Derby.
Answered by Huw Merriman - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
The Secretary of State and I have held frequent discussions with Alstom UK’s senior management to help them find a sustainable long-term solution for the Derby site. Rail manufacturing plays an important role in growing the UK economy and there is a strong pipeline of future orders for UK rail manufacturers.
Asked by: Stephen Morgan (Labour - Portsmouth South)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 28 February 2024 to Question 15333 on High Speed 2 Line, what assumptions were made on the potential services that could run north of Birmingham to provide the evidential basis for the statement that the new plan for HS2 will result in nearly doubling capacity up to 250,000 seats per day across the primary long-distance operator on the West Coast Main Line and Phase 1.
Answered by Huw Merriman - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
The Department is currently working on the requirement to develop a new train service specification for HS2 and West Coast Mainline services following the Prime Minister’s Network North announcement. The Department has committed to publish the Phase 1 Updated Business Case which will be based on an indicative train service specification and associated capacity in 2024.
Any train service included in the business case will be indicative for modelling and planning purposes. Decisions on the train service that will run when HS2 is operational will made in due course and be subject to consultation.
Asked by: Stephen Morgan (Labour - Portsmouth South)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many passenger journeys were taken using Network Railcards in (a) 2019, (b) 2020, (c) 2021, (d) 2022, and (e) 2023.
Answered by Huw Merriman - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
The Department is not able to provide sales or journeys data on the Network Railcard for this or previous years. Railcard sales data is commercially sensitive and managed by the Rail Delivery Group (RDG) on behalf of train operators.
RDG manage and deliver the Railcard schemes, including the Network Railcard. The Department does not hold data on their administrative costs.
According to the Network Railcard website, on average Railcard holders save £134 annually. Individual savings will depend on the journeys each passenger makes.
Asked by: Stephen Morgan (Labour - Portsmouth South)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many Network Railcards were in circulation in (a) 2019, (b) 2020, (c) 2021, (d) 2022 and (e) 2023.
Answered by Huw Merriman - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
The Department is not able to provide sales or journeys data on the Network Railcard for this or previous years. Railcard sales data is commercially sensitive and managed by the Rail Delivery Group (RDG) on behalf of train operators.
RDG manage and deliver the Railcard schemes, including the Network Railcard. The Department does not hold data on their administrative costs.
According to the Network Railcard website, on average Railcard holders save £134 annually. Individual savings will depend on the journeys each passenger makes.
Asked by: Stephen Morgan (Labour - Portsmouth South)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many Network Railcards are in circulation as of 22 February 2024.
Answered by Huw Merriman - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
The Department is not able to provide sales or journeys data on the Network Railcard for this or previous years. Railcard sales data is commercially sensitive and managed by the Rail Delivery Group (RDG) on behalf of train operators.
RDG manage and deliver the Railcard schemes, including the Network Railcard. The Department does not hold data on their administrative costs.
According to the Network Railcard website, on average Railcard holders save £134 annually. Individual savings will depend on the journeys each passenger makes.
Asked by: Stephen Morgan (Labour - Portsmouth South)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what data his Department holds on the savings on train fares generated by the use of Network Railcards in (a) 2019, (b) 2020, (c) 2021, (d) 2022 and (e) 2023.
Answered by Huw Merriman - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
The Department is not able to provide sales or journeys data on the Network Railcard for this or previous years. Railcard sales data is commercially sensitive and managed by the Rail Delivery Group (RDG) on behalf of train operators.
RDG manage and deliver the Railcard schemes, including the Network Railcard. The Department does not hold data on their administrative costs.
According to the Network Railcard website, on average Railcard holders save £134 annually. Individual savings will depend on the journeys each passenger makes.
Asked by: Stephen Morgan (Labour - Portsmouth South)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what data his Department holds on the revenue raised from passenger journeys taken using Network Railcards in (a) 2019, (b) 2020, (c) 2021, (d) 2022 and (e) 2023.
Answered by Huw Merriman - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
The Department is not able to provide sales or journeys data on the Network Railcard for this or previous years. Railcard sales data is commercially sensitive and managed by the Rail Delivery Group (RDG) on behalf of train operators.
RDG manage and deliver the Railcard schemes, including the Network Railcard. The Department does not hold data on their administrative costs.
According to the Network Railcard website, on average Railcard holders save £134 annually. Individual savings will depend on the journeys each passenger makes.