Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the performance of bi-mode Class 800 trains on the Great Western route.

The first four Intercity Express bi-modes trains entered in to passenger service on the Great Western Mainline on 16 October 2017. Since introduction, the bi-mode trains have generally performed well with positive feedback from passengers and staff. As can happen with new fleet introduction a small number of issues have arisen which are being actively managed by Great Western Railway and Hitachi Rail Europe. So far the four trains have added over 5000 extra seats per week into and out of London. This will progressively increase as more trains are gradually introduced between now and the end of 2018.