Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent discussions he has had with rail operators on the potential effect of the East Coast Mainline engineering works scheduled for Christmas on passengers who choose to travel over that period when the covid-19 lockdown restrictions are temporarily lifted.

We have developed a comprehensive plan for the Christmas travel window between 23 December and 27 December. We have also asked Sir Peter Hendy to rigorously scrutinise the plans of all transport modes, to ensure a collective focus on minimising disruption and supporting passengers this Christmas.

The East Coast upgrade works, which include the closure of King’s Cross Station, are going ahead as cancelling or delaying these works would see benefits to punctuality, safety and reliability on the East Coast Mainline deferred by up to two years.

We are working closely with London North Eastern Railway and other train operators to put into place measures which ensure passengers who need to travel on the affected dates can do so safely via alternative routes and services if required. These measures have been informed by our analysis of advanced ticket sales and travel data to determine demand over the Christmas period. Additionally, Network Rail has altered its plans allowing additional services to operate to and from King’s Cross station on December 24.