Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of whether the franchise specifications for rail passenger services on the (a) TransPennine and (b) Northern Rail lines contained in the consultation document published on 9 June 2014 will lead to a change in the level of service for passengers in the North West.

The specifications for both the Northern and TransPennine Express franchises have not yet been decided. The public consultation exercise sets out options and responses to it will inform these specifications. An objective for both the Northern and TransPennine Express franchises is to "Realise the benefits from rail investment in the north of England, ensuring the successful delivery of journey time, frequency, reliability and connectivity benefits for passengers." This recognises the increase in capacity that the major infrastructure works in the North of England will allow.