Asked by: Toby Perkins (Labour - Chesterfield)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what proportion of East Midlands Railways trains from a) Sheffield to London and b) London to Sheffield have been i) on time, ii) less than fifteen minutes late, iii) 15-30 minutes late, iv) 30-59 minutes late, v) over 59 minutes late and vi) cancelled in each year between 2022 and 2026.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The tables below show the proportion of East Midlands Railway’s (EMR) trains from:
a) Sheffield to London trains that were i) on time, ii) less than fifteen minutes late, iii) 15-30 minutes late, iv) 30-59 minutes late, v) over 59 minutes late and vi) cancelled in each year between 2022 and 2026; and
b) London to Sheffield have been i) on time, ii) less than fifteen minutes late, iii) 15-30 minutes late, iv) 30-59 minutes late, v) over 59 minutes late and vi) cancelled in each year between 2022 and 2026.
(2026 has not been included as we do not have the comparable full year data)
From Sheffield
Year | On Time | <15 Late | 15-30 | 30-59 | >59 | Cancelled |
2022 | 40.4% | 90.8% | 7.4% | 1.4% | 0.4% | 2.5% |
2023 | 43.2% | 90.2% | 8.4% | 1.2% | 0.2% | 2.9% |
2024 | 38.1% | 88.5% | 9.3% | 1.8% | 0.3% | 2.6% |
2025 | 39.9% | 88.1% | 9.8% | 1.7% | 0.3% | 2.9% |
From London
Year | On Time | <15 Late | 15-30 | 30-59 | >59 | Cancelled |
2022 | 31.0% | 89.7% | 8.4% | 1.7% | 0.3% | 2.4% |
2023 | 29.1% | 88.7% | 9.9% | 1.3% | 0.1% | 2.6% |
2024 | 25.2% | 87.6% | 10.4% | 1.7% | 0.2% | 2.5% |
2025 | 30.2% | 89.5% | 8.7% | 1.5% | 0.2% | 2.9% |
Asked by: Toby Perkins (Labour - Chesterfield)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what proportion of trains on the East Midlands Railway Sheffield to London service a) had the requisite number of carriages and b) were short formed in each year between 2022 and 2026.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department can provide the percentage of trains which were short formed on East Midland Railway’s Sheffield to London service for the last three full calendar years.
In 2023, 115 EMR trains between London and Sheffield were short formed, which constitutes 1 per cent of total trains, in 2024, 204 trains were short formed, which constitutes 1.7 per cent of total trains, and in 2025, 342 trains were short formed, which constitutes 2.9 per cent of the total. From Sheffield to London, in 2023, 104 trains between were short formed, constituting 0.9 per cent of total trains, in 2024 105 trains were short formed, constituting 0.9 per cent of the total, and in 2025, 131 trains were short formed, constituting 1.1 per cent of total trains.
EMR’s new Aurora bi-mode trains, which will deliver much-needed additional seats compared to the class 222 trains they are replacing on EMR’s intercity routes, have now started to enter passenger service and will continue with a phased rollout through 2026. EMR has put in place plans which will minimise the passenger impact of this fleet transition. However, to protect a reliable service for passengers, a small number of services may operate with shorter trains than usual reducing capacity during this transition period.
Asked by: Toby Perkins (Labour - Chesterfield)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether her Department's contract with East Midlands Railway for train services from Sheffield to London specifies the number of carriages each service should have available.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The National Rail Contract does not specify the number of carriages for each service, it is for the Train Operator to prepare a timetable which sets out the train formation that best matches available capacity to the forecast passenger demand.
EMR’s new Aurora bi-mode trains, which will deliver much-needed additional seats compared to the class 222 trains they are replacing on EMR’s intercity routes, have now started to enter passenger service and will continue with a phased rollout through 2026. EMR has put in place plans which will minimise the passenger impact of this fleet transition. However, to protect a reliable service for passengers, a small number of services may operate with shorter trains than usual, reducing capacity during this transition period.
Asked by: Toby Perkins (Labour - Chesterfield)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the potential implications for her policies of current levels of global (a) production capacity of Sustainable Aviation Fuel and (b) demand for Sustainable Aviation Fuel.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Significant analysis was undertaken during the development of the Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) Mandate. Government considered global production capacity and the UK’s ability to access SAF for a range of SAF conversion processes, including hydroprocessed esters and fatty acids (HEFA). To ensure the SAF Mandate reflects the latest technological and commercial developments, there is continuous monitoring of trends and impacts of the Mandate.
HEFA will play an important role in the global SAF sector, particularly in the early years of the Mandate. However, the HEFA cap is to encourage the development of new technology pathways so that meeting the SAF Mandate is not reliant on HEFA feedstocks, which are likely to become scarcer. We have carefully balanced setting the HEFA cap in a way that recognises the fact HEFA is the only currently commercially available type of SAF to mitigate against unintended consequences.
The corresponding EU SAF Mandate does not place a cap on HEFA, however, the EU’s overarching Renewable Energy Directive does place a limit on certain feedstocks that can be used across transport uses. Officials regularly engage with European counterparts and stakeholders to understand policy developments in the EU and share learnings from SAF policy.
Asked by: Toby Perkins (Labour - Chesterfield)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the cap on Hydroprocessed esters and fatty acids (HEFA) in Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) on fulfilling the SAF mandate.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Significant analysis was undertaken during the development of the Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) Mandate. Government considered global production capacity and the UK’s ability to access SAF for a range of SAF conversion processes, including hydroprocessed esters and fatty acids (HEFA). To ensure the SAF Mandate reflects the latest technological and commercial developments, there is continuous monitoring of trends and impacts of the Mandate.
HEFA will play an important role in the global SAF sector, particularly in the early years of the Mandate. However, the HEFA cap is to encourage the development of new technology pathways so that meeting the SAF Mandate is not reliant on HEFA feedstocks, which are likely to become scarcer. We have carefully balanced setting the HEFA cap in a way that recognises the fact HEFA is the only currently commercially available type of SAF to mitigate against unintended consequences.
The corresponding EU SAF Mandate does not place a cap on HEFA, however, the EU’s overarching Renewable Energy Directive does place a limit on certain feedstocks that can be used across transport uses. Officials regularly engage with European counterparts and stakeholders to understand policy developments in the EU and share learnings from SAF policy.
Asked by: Toby Perkins (Labour - Chesterfield)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what conversations she has had with her European counterparts about the UK’s cap on Hydroprocessed esters and fatty acids (HEFA) SAF within the SAF mandate.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Significant analysis was undertaken during the development of the Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) Mandate. Government considered global production capacity and the UK’s ability to access SAF for a range of SAF conversion processes, including hydroprocessed esters and fatty acids (HEFA). To ensure the SAF Mandate reflects the latest technological and commercial developments, there is continuous monitoring of trends and impacts of the Mandate.
HEFA will play an important role in the global SAF sector, particularly in the early years of the Mandate. However, the HEFA cap is to encourage the development of new technology pathways so that meeting the SAF Mandate is not reliant on HEFA feedstocks, which are likely to become scarcer. We have carefully balanced setting the HEFA cap in a way that recognises the fact HEFA is the only currently commercially available type of SAF to mitigate against unintended consequences.
The corresponding EU SAF Mandate does not place a cap on HEFA, however, the EU’s overarching Renewable Energy Directive does place a limit on certain feedstocks that can be used across transport uses. Officials regularly engage with European counterparts and stakeholders to understand policy developments in the EU and share learnings from SAF policy.
Asked by: Toby Perkins (Labour - Chesterfield)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what information her Department holds on which EU countries have imposed a Hydroprocessed esters and fatty acids (HEFA) SAF cap within their SAF mandate.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Significant analysis was undertaken during the development of the Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) Mandate. Government considered global production capacity and the UK’s ability to access SAF for a range of SAF conversion processes, including hydroprocessed esters and fatty acids (HEFA). To ensure the SAF Mandate reflects the latest technological and commercial developments, there is continuous monitoring of trends and impacts of the Mandate.
HEFA will play an important role in the global SAF sector, particularly in the early years of the Mandate. However, the HEFA cap is to encourage the development of new technology pathways so that meeting the SAF Mandate is not reliant on HEFA feedstocks, which are likely to become scarcer. We have carefully balanced setting the HEFA cap in a way that recognises the fact HEFA is the only currently commercially available type of SAF to mitigate against unintended consequences.
The corresponding EU SAF Mandate does not place a cap on HEFA, however, the EU’s overarching Renewable Energy Directive does place a limit on certain feedstocks that can be used across transport uses. Officials regularly engage with European counterparts and stakeholders to understand policy developments in the EU and share learnings from SAF policy.
Asked by: Toby Perkins (Labour - Chesterfield)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, for what reason there is a Hydroprocessed esters and fatty acids (HEFA) SAF cap within the SAF mandate.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Significant analysis was undertaken during the development of the Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) Mandate. Government considered global production capacity and the UK’s ability to access SAF for a range of SAF conversion processes, including hydroprocessed esters and fatty acids (HEFA). To ensure the SAF Mandate reflects the latest technological and commercial developments, there is continuous monitoring of trends and impacts of the Mandate.
HEFA will play an important role in the global SAF sector, particularly in the early years of the Mandate. However, the HEFA cap is to encourage the development of new technology pathways so that meeting the SAF Mandate is not reliant on HEFA feedstocks, which are likely to become scarcer. We have carefully balanced setting the HEFA cap in a way that recognises the fact HEFA is the only currently commercially available type of SAF to mitigate against unintended consequences.
The corresponding EU SAF Mandate does not place a cap on HEFA, however, the EU’s overarching Renewable Energy Directive does place a limit on certain feedstocks that can be used across transport uses. Officials regularly engage with European counterparts and stakeholders to understand policy developments in the EU and share learnings from SAF policy.
Asked by: Toby Perkins (Labour - Chesterfield)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the decision to pause the next phase of electrification of the Midland Main Line on rail (a) times and (b) investment in the East Midlands.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Spending Review prioritised investment across all government spending, taking account of business cases and affordability. While I appreciate the investment opportunities that further electrification of the Midland Main Line could bring to the East Midlands, schemes that would have a more significant impact on economic growth were prioritised for funding. There is still significant investment being made in rail and we will continue to keep this project under review as part of our longer-term pipeline of schemes.
Ahead of further funding becoming available to complete electrification of the route, EMR’s new intercity bi-mode trains will provide a step change in journey quality for rail passengers travelling between South Yorkshire, the East Midlands and London. The new trains will be quieter, more comfortable and will reduce carbon emissions by running using electric overhead lines between London and Wigston, south of Leicester. When fully operational they will provide a 46 per cent increase in capacity through a mixture of a greater number of seats and units.
Asked by: Toby Perkins (Labour - Chesterfield)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what information her Department holds on the number of (a) car rental car parking spaces and (b) car rental car parking spaces with electric charging points at each airport.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Information requested is not held by the department.