Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the feasibility of modernising Pacer railbuses on the Northern and TransPennine routes after electrification; and what assessment he has made of the potential need to replace that type of rolling stock by 2020 in order to comply with European standards for accessible trains.

The Department for Transport has not assessed the feasibility of modernising Pacer trains – that is for the vehicles’ owners to decide. However, officials have been shown plans by Porterbrook, which owns part of the Pacer fleet, to modernise one Class 144 unit this winter.

The Department has set out the level of accessibility that it expects Pacers to have if they are to remain in service after 2019. It will be for the owners to decide whether to invest in life-extension works, alongside bidders for future franchises, and reflecting the Department’s expectations for rolling stock quality in those franchises.

However, the Government recognises the need for new rolling stock on these franchises and that is why we will require bidders for the Northern franchises to include proposals as part of their bids for the removal of Pacer units.