Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of introducing Driver Only Operation on the Northern Rail and Transpennine Express Franchises.

We are working closely with Rail North on all aspects of the specifications for the Northern and TransPennine franchises; this includes considering the option of specifying that, where appropriate, drivers take on increased responsibility including the job of opening and closing the train doors, as has been the norm on many other parts of the railway for 30 years.

Making such changes, where applicable, could enhance efficiency and improve service to passengers by allowing other on-train staff to be focussed on passenger needs and revenue protection. It can also help reduce the time trains spend at the stations, by improving train despatch. Putting Driver Only Operation in operation removes the frustration of trains being delayed or cancelled as a result of no conductor being available, for example because through no fault of their own they have been delayed on another service.

The specifications for the franchise are in the process of being finalised and will be published in due course.