Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether each train company with a franchise agreement has been asked to identify opportunities it is pursuing for further efficiencies in relation to operating costs in the (a) short and (b) medium term.

The Emergency Measures Agreements (EMAs) require operators to act in in a commercial manner in relation to the management of revenues and costs.

The Department has required operators to identify and implement cost reductions for the EMA term. The EMAs have also introduced a formal process of periodic budget reviews to enable additional financial scrutiny of operators.