Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when the number of services on the Castle Line from Lincoln to Nottingham through Newark Castle Station will be restored to the level of those services prior to the covid-19 outbreak.

Along with other operators East Midlands Railway (EMR) reduced services during the height of the pandemic as demand was reduced and the ability to operate services reliably was affected by driver resource constraints and delayed arrival of rolling stock from another operator.

EMR will be operating an increased timetable from December this year as some services are re-instated, and further additions are part of consideration of plans for May 2022. It essential that these service additions are done in a measured way to provide a reliable service that appropriately meets post-COVID levels of demand.