Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he plans to take South Western Railway into public ownership.
As confirmed in the written ministerial statement on 22 January 2020, the Department is preparing contingency plans for South Western Railway (SWR). Options include a new short-term contract with SWR, with tightly defined performance requirements; or transferring the operation to the Operator of Last Resort, a public sector operator wholly owned by the Department. The Department will evaluate both options to determine how best to secure the continuation of passenger services on this part of the network.