Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment he has made of trends in the number of passengers using High Speed 1 trains at peak times between Ebbsfleet International Station and London terminals.

My Hon Friend will be aware that the Department is running a competition to identify the next operator for the South Franchise.

In developing the specification for this competition, the Department considered passenger numbers recorded in recent years and forecasts into the next franchise including those in the morning and evening peak periods.