Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, on whom the cost of compensating passengers inconvenienced by the emergency timetable introduced on Northern Rail falls.

We recognise that passengers have faced an unacceptable level of disruption in the North.

A special compensation scheme for inconvenienced passengers is being established and details will be announced by Transport for the North.

This is an industry funded scheme which Network Rail are paying for in full from within their existing operational budgets. Network Rail have accepted that their late completion of upgrades has led to the significant disruption.