Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to help ensure local commuter railway lines in the North East are served by (a) frequent and (b) reliable services.

Rail North Partnership (RNP), through which the Department and Transport for the North jointly manage Northern Train’s and TransPennine Express contracts, work closely with operators and stakeholders to monitor services and seek improvements to meet the needs of passengers and communities in the North East.