Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the answer of 13 July 2026 to Question 18049 on Government Departments: Greater Manchester, what the average percentage attendance rate of assigned Network Rail staff was at Square One 4 Travis Street in Manchester in the most recent working week for which figures are available, expressed as a percentage of assigned staff attending the workplace and in absolute terms.

While Manchester Square One is an office base used by Network Rail colleagues and industry partners from across the country, its colleagues work flexibly across a range of rail industry locations, depending on their role and the work they are undertaking. Network Rail has provided desk occupancy data for Square One to help answer the question directly.

Last week (week commencing 5 October 2026), average desk occupancy across the five working days was 51 per cent of the office’s 1,761 desk capacity, equivalent to an average of 903 desks in use each day. Occupancy peaked at 75 per cent on Thursday, when 1,321 desks were in use.

Network Rail’s office requirements in Manchester have been considered over several years, including previous plans to move from Square One as the site was expected to be required for HS2. The creation of Great British Railways now presents new opportunities to bring colleagues from across the railway closer together, supporting greater collaboration and closer working across the industry.