Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to introduce unmanned aerial vehicle technology for general data acquisition on the rail network.

The use of drone technology for data acquisition is already prevalent on the rail network.

Network Rail drones gather data, videos and images of the railway for regular maintenance purposes. Drones can reach areas which are usually difficult to access, such as roofs, bridges, coastal areas, the overhead wires that power electric trains and communication masts.

Inspecting the railway in this way also means lines can be kept open to train services and keep workers safe as engineers are not out on the track unnecessarily.