Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions have taken place between his Department, Royal Mail Group Ltd, and rolling stock leasing companies on future rail freight capacity for (a) parcels and (b) letter traffic.

My officials have had general discussions with rail freight industry stakeholders, including a rolling stock leasing company, on various initiatives stakeholders are planning or undertaking for transporting parcels and letters by rail freight. Express Freight was identified as an emerging core market in our recently announced rail freight growth target and we are keen to support its development. In 2022 Varamis Ltd was awarded a grant through our ‘First of a Kind’ initiative to support its activities in developing express rail freight.