Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 5 March 2025 to Question 34603 on Rolling Stock: Northern, what information her Department holds on the number of train cars in good working order but not in use by Northern.

Northern currently has 954 carriages that operate according to train service requirements set by the Department.

Train operators are responsible for ensuring that they meet the needs of customers by deploying the appropriate number of vehicles into service to deliver train services. The Department does not hold information in respect of the number of vehicles that are available for service but not in traffic, this is a matter for the operator who must make effective use of their fleet by balancing demand against maintenance, refurbishment and overhaul tasks.