Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to support the long-term sustainability of the rail manufacturing sector.

The Government is committed to supporting a thriving UK-based rolling stock industry. The Department for Transport works closely with rolling stock owners and train operators to understand when new trains are likely to be required and seeks to ensure a regular flow of work for train manufacturers. Trains are major assets with a lifetime of 35-40 years so there will naturally be peaks and troughs in procurement cycles.

Since 2012, train operators have invested in around 8,000 new vehicles for the mainline railway in Great Britain. Despite the impacts of the Covid pandemic, there is now a strong domestic UK market for rolling stock procurement. Over 2,000 new vehicles are expected to be procured over the next few years, providing £3.6 billion of opportunities for train manufacturers. Rolling stock owners also continue to invest heavily in their fleets, with several major upgrades currently underway.

In January 2024, I wrote to train manufacturers to outline the pipeline of current and expected orders for new trains. This included details of current competitions for Northern, SouthEastern, Chiltern, TransPennine Express and an expected procurement by Great Western Railway.