Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether her Department has prepared improvement action plans for rail franchises due to be brought back into public ownership.

There will be no immediate changes to the specifications of services at the point of transfer. All operators will continue to go through an annual planning process with the Department to agree plans for changes to service specifications, performance improvements and other deliverables.

Once transferred, publicly owned operators will be managed by DfT Operator. DfT Operator works closely with its train companies to drive forward improvements for passengers and rail employees through its reform initiatives and it will ensure that its operators continually find better ways to make rail accessible for all.

The Government will not tolerate poor performance and will continue to hold all operators to account, regardless of ownership.