Asked by: Stephen Morgan (Labour - Portsmouth South)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate he has made of trends in the level of rail freight usage since 2014.
Answered by Huw Merriman - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
In 2014-15 the total freight moved was 22.2 billion net tonne km. This has decreased by 29% to 15.7 billion net tonne km in 2022-23. Much of the decline is due to the phasing out of coal for power stations. Coal traffic decreased by 93% from 6.5 billion net tonne km in 2014-15 to 0.5 billion net tonne km in 2022-23.
If coal is excluded, the total amount of freight moved has decreased by 3% from 15.7 billion net tonne km in 2014-15 to 15.2 billion net tonne km in 2022-23. However, there is significant potential for growth and that is why the government has set a target of at least 75% growth in freight moved by rail by 2050.
Year | Coal | Total Freight Moved without Coal (billion net tonne kilometres) | Total Freight Moved |
2014-15 | 6.5 | 15.7 | 22.2 |
2015-16 | 2.3 | 15.4 | 17.7 |
2016-17 | 1.4 | 15.8 | 17.2 |
2017-18 | 1.2 | 15.7 | 16.9 |
2018-19 | 1.2 | 16.2 | 17.4 |
2019-20 | 0.4 | 16.2 | 16.6 |
2020-21 | 0.2 | 15.0 | 15.2 |
2021-22 | 0.3 | 16.6 | 16.9 |
2022-23 | 0.5 | 15.2 | 15.7 |
The government is committed to growing rail freight.
Network Rail has committed to supporting growth of 7.5% in CP7 (2024-2029) and are working on plans to achieve this. That will form the first step on the way to the 2050 target.
The Rail Minister hosts bi-monthly roundtable meetings with key rail freight stakeholders. Network Rail also continues to work closely with freight operators to improve performance, with increases seen recently in Network Rail’s Freight Delivery Metric.
The Government encourages and incentivises modal shift from road to rail by allocating £20m per year to the Mode Shift Revenue Support scheme. In 2022/23, the scheme removed the need for around 900,000 HGV journeys, saving almost 40,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions.
The Government has also contributed over £12.5m to 33 "First of a Kind" R&D projects and £7m through the “Future of Freight” fund both to boost innovation and help decarbonise freight.
Asked by: Stephen Morgan (Labour - Portsmouth South)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he has made an estimate of the length of rail tracks in miles that will be electrified in 2024.
Answered by Huw Merriman - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
The estimated number of electrified Single Track Miles (STM) that will be added to the network in England and Wales during 2024 is approximately 66 STM. This includes 20 STM as part of the Transpennine Route Upgrade and 46 STM on the Midlands Main Line between Kettering and Wigston.
This will be reflected in the Office for Road and Rail’s Rail Infrastructure and Assets data report as per the financial year that each project is completed.
From 2010/11 to 2022/23, around 1265 miles of track were electrified in Great Britain.
Asked by: Stephen Morgan (Labour - Portsmouth South)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking with rail providers to help ensure railway timetables meet the requirements of football supporters on match days.
Answered by Huw Merriman - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
I have been clear that the current, sustained poor performance on the railway is unacceptable, and industry needs to make significant improvements to deliver the punctual, reliable services that passengers and taxpayers deserve.
Through the Department’s National Rail Contracts, there is a direct link between punctuality and reliability and the fee operators receive to incentivise improved performance.
My officials and I monitor the situation closely and hold industry to account – I review performance on a weekly basis and hold regular high-level meetings with both Network Rail and representatives from the train operators.
Asked by: Stephen Morgan (Labour - Portsmouth South)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking with railway providers to help improve train timeliness.
Answered by Huw Merriman - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
I have been clear that the current, sustained poor performance on the railway is unacceptable, and industry needs to make significant improvements to deliver the punctual, reliable services that passengers and taxpayers deserve.
Through the Department’s National Rail Contracts, there is a direct link between punctuality and reliability and the fee operators receive to incentivise improved performance.
My officials and I monitor the situation closely and hold industry to account – I review performance on a weekly basis and hold regular high-level meetings with both Network Rail and representatives from the train operators.
Asked by: Stephen Morgan (Labour - Portsmouth South)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he has had discussions with the Mayor of (a) Greater Manchester and (b) the West Midlands on steps to improve rail connectivity between Birmingham and Manchester.
Answered by Huw Merriman - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
The Secretary of State and I met with the Mayors of the West Midlands and Greater Manchester on 31 January to discuss proposals to improve rail connectivity between the West Midlands and Manchester. The position on cancelling HS2 Phase 2 has not changed. We are already getting on with using the savings from HS2 Phase 2 to deliver Network North which will benefit more people in more places more quickly.
Asked by: Stephen Morgan (Labour - Portsmouth South)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent progress he has made appointing a development company to manage the delivery of Euston Station.
Answered by Huw Merriman - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
Following the Network North announcement on 4 October 2023, we are upping the ambition of the Euston redevelopment, to create a transformed ‘Euston Quarter’. Government continues to define and develop a range of development models and financing mechanisms to best meet the objectives of the ‘Euston Quarter’ including discussions with our key stakeholders and delivery partners. We will set out next steps in due course.
Asked by: Stephen Morgan (Labour - Portsmouth South)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the cost to the public purse was of establishing Great British Railways.
Answered by Huw Merriman - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
The Government is committed to establishing Great British Railways (GBR). Pre-legislative scrutiny of the draft Rail Reform Bill, which is needed to establish GBR, will be taken forward this session.
The cost of establishment and ongoing operations of GBR will be confirmed in the final business case.
Asked by: Stephen Morgan (Labour - Portsmouth South)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to help support Network Rail to respond to (a) severe weather and (b) other emergencies.
Answered by Huw Merriman - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
Network Rail and the wider industry are responsible for managing the effects of any risks affecting railway operations, and in anticipation of incidents, such as extreme weather conditions, industry works together to implement the necessary mitigations to ensure safety and minimise disruption.
In 2022 the Department for Transport published the High-Level Output Specification (HLOS) which outlines the Secretary of State’s objectives for Network Rail’s operation, maintenance and renewal of railway infrastructure in England and Wales between 2024 and 2029—tied to a £44.1 billion funding settlement. The HLOS is clear that the rail network must be as resilient as reasonably possible to the effects of climate change and extreme weather.
The Department works with Network Rail on preparations for a range of emergencies and civil contingencies, including sharing relevant risk assessments and supporting collaboration with partner organisations. When major emergencies affecting the railway occur, the Department engages closely with Network Rail to support effective collaboration and coordination across the rail industry. Network Rail has set aside £1.5 billion in risk funding for the next 5 years, as part of a process run and assured by the independent regulator, the Office of Rail and Road. This will help Network Rail manage the impact of unexpected events and emergencies.
Asked by: Stephen Morgan (Labour - Portsmouth South)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the Answer of 20 July 2023 to Question 195428 on Railway Stations: Access, whether he has had recent discussions with the Great British Railways Transition Team on the accessibility audit of railway stations.
Answered by Huw Merriman - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
I was pleased to attend the event at Marylebone station last year to mark the final accessibility audit survey completed and have continued to engage in discussions with the Great British Railways Transition Team (GBRTT). My officials are now working with GBRTT to consider how best to make the accessibility audit data available to the public in a format that is both accessible and relevant to allow them to make more informed travel choices. We will announce further details in due course.
Asked by: Stephen Morgan (Labour - Portsmouth South)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he is taking steps to help ensure the adequacy of train driver numbers for the next (a) five, (b) 10 and (c) 25 years.
Answered by Huw Merriman - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
The Department is not responsible for the recruitment and retention of train drivers. The train operating companies, as employers, are responsible for ensuring there are adequate number of train drivers to suit their operational functions.
Train operators incentivise the continued recruitment of train drivers by offering salaries to qualified drivers that are well above UK average full-time earnings. To give some examples of train driver recruitment which is currently underway, Avanti West Coast (AWC) is undertaking unprecedented levels of annual recruitment, with plans underway to recruit approximately 70 trainee or qualified drivers in each year, over the next few years. Over 100 additional drivers have entered formal service since April 2022 in AWC. Further to recent recruitment drives, Northern Rail currently have 136 drivers in training.
Despite the industry presenting ASLEF with a reasonable two-year pay deal in return for necessary reforms, ASLEF’s leadership declined the offer. This pay rise would have taken some train driver salaries to c. £65000. We continue to encourage ASLEF to present the industry's fair proposal to its members, within the train operating companies, to allow them to have a say on their future.