Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what criteria his Department uses to determine rail operators compliance with their franchise obligations; and what recent assessment he has made of South Western Railway compliance with the obligations and provisions of its franchise.

The Department monitors rail operators’ compliance with Franchise Obligations on an on-going basis through comprehensive periodic reporting obligations placed on operators under the Franchise Agreement, and review of evidence of progress and satisfaction of committed obligations. Where non-compliance with Terms of the Franchise Agreement are identified, the Secretary of State makes use of his powers under the Railways Act 1993 to take any action he considers necessary or appropriate to secure compliance, including the exercise of his contractual rights to require remedial action to be taken.

South Western Railway have currently exceeded the Breach threshold for Cancellations and Minutes Delay, for which a Remedial Plan is currently under discussion with the operator. The Department has also identified two further non-compliances with the Franchise Agreement where contractual deadlines were not met, both of which have been remedied without the need for enforcement action to be taken to secure delivery.