Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to support the rail industry during the covid-19 outbreak.

The Department has offered operators of all of its franchises a short-term Emergency Measures Agreement, a six month pause of the financial mechanisms within their Franchise Agreements. This offer has been accepted in all cases and the agreements have been in place since 1 April, effective from 1 March. They have stabilised the industry, kept services running and provided assurance for those working on the railway. We continue to work to support operators as needed and bring stability and certainty to the industry during this turbulent time.