Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what action they plan to take following the power surge on Thameslink Class 700 trains which caused delays to the Govia Thameslink Railway service; whether, during procurement of those trains, the question of power surges was mentioned in the specification of these trains; and if so, whether such problems were anticipated.

Following the loss of power on 9 August which affected the operation of Class 700 Thameslink and Class 717 Moorgate trains, Ministers and officials have held discussions with Siemens, the manufacturer of the trains, and Govia Thameslink Railway, the train operator. Investigations are being undertaken by both Siemens and Govia Thameslink Railway to understand why some trains did not restart and what needs to be done to ensure that trains restart in future. The investigations are considering, amongst other things, the Thameslink trains’ conformance with power supply compatibility standards that were specified in the procurement of the trains.