Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what his policy is on the future of South Western Railway; and what plans he has for the future funding of the Island Line railway.

As part of responsible contingency planning, we have measures in place on every franchise to protect the interests of passengers and taxpayers, and to ensure that services keep running and the taxpayer is reimbursed if a franchise is unable to deliver the services required. The Island Line will continue to operate under the South Western Railway franchise. On 16 September 2019 I announced significant investment on the Island Line confirming our determination to provide passengers across the country with the modern rail network they expect.