Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 8 July 2021 to Question 27274 on Rolling Stock: Procurement, to what extent the specification for new rolling stock (a) procured and (b) agreed by the operators of (i) Greater Anglia, (ii) TransPennine, (iii) West Midland Trains, (iv) South Western Railway and (v) c2c was determined by the requirements set out by his Department as part of the invitation to tender for the relevant franchise.

The invitation to tender for previous franchise competitions sets out the minimum requirements that bidders are to meet, and it is for bidders to provide evidence as to whether existing or new build rolling stock meets those requirements.