Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to ensure that at the introduction of the new East Midlands Trains Franchise journey times on all services be as as least as good as they were before the timetable changes in May 2018.

Abellio will invest £600 million in trains and stations in the new franchise, while the Government continues with its £1.5 billion upgrade to the Midland Main Line, the biggest upgrade to the line since it was completed in 1870. This is part of the Government’s £48 billion investment to modernise our railways over the next five years. £200m was spent last year to provide new track, signalling and a new platform at Derby Station in preparation for the 2020 timetable change, which will help to reduce journey times between Nottingham and Sheffield and London.

The upgrade of the Midland Main Line means that, from the December 2020 timetable change, the new franchise operator will be able to introduce new fast services on the Corby-London route, on modern express trains, with more seats. Inter-city services will receive brand new trains and passengers will see faster journey times over long-distances, while regional services will receive modern diesel trains replacing the current aging rolling stock.