Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they invited open access rail passenger operators to operate reduced services alongside franchised operators to deliver (1) an agreed, and (2) a reduced, service on railway lines by both; and if so, how they are ensuring fair competition between franchised and open access operators.

Government has put in place Emergency Measures Agreements with franchised train operators to ensure the railway is able to provide critical services as part of the response to COVID-19. As they do not have a direct contractual relationship with Government, open access passenger operators are not eligible for these agreements. Two open access operators, Grand Central and Hull Trains, have temporarily ceased services and will draw upon the Government’s Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme to assist with their costs during the outbreak. Government looks forward to their return to the network once they are able to do so.