Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 4 November 2014 to Question 212595, when he plans for his Department's review of the future activities of Directly Operated Railways to be concluded.

The Department is currently considering the long term options for securing provision to discharge the Secretary of State’s duties under Section 30 of the Railways Act 1993.

In the meantime the existing management team at Directly Operated Railways are fully engaged in supporting the Department on the Franchising Direct Awards Programme. The focus of their work is to ensure that the company is ready to step in as the Secretary of State’s operator of last resort should any of the remaining Direct Awards fail to reach a successful commercial conclusion.

The company is also on standby to mobilise an operator of last resort company in the event that an existing rail franchise is terminated and is not immediately replaced.