Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of delivery to date of (a) service improvements and (b) investment in new rolling stock as set out in the East Midlands 2019 rail franchise agreement.

A new dedicated electric train service between Corby and London St Pancras, with frequency doubled to two train per hour has been delivered, enabling peak time long distance services to and from London to be accelerated. The new fleet of bi-mode long distance trains, committed to as part of the East Midlands 2019 rail franchise agreement, are under construction and should enter service in the next couple of years.

As a result of the impact of the pandemic, the Department are negotiating to replace the 2019 franchise agreement with a directly awarded National Rail Contract which will enable more flexibility to develop service and rolling stock plans that reflect the changes to travel habits that the pandemic caused.