Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what guidance the Department issues on the acceptable duration of full closures of rail lines for planned engineering works, with particular reference to the coastal route between Newton Abbot and Dawlish.

The Department for Transport does not set acceptability criteria for access to rail lines for engineering works. Access is agreed through the established regulatory and contractual framework. Network Rail engages train operators via the Network Code and Access Agreements to agree possessions, taking account of passenger and stakeholder impacts.