Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to make rail travel more attractive.

The Williams-Shapps Plan for Rail, published May 2021, contains a number of passenger-focused reforms that will bring in improved services and encourage the use of rail. The Spending Review 2021 confirmed £5.7bn of funding over three years to support essential rail services, and will see Government investing £360m in modernising ticketing and retailing systems, delivering a major overhaul to the way in which rail travel is bought and paid for.

We are also working with the rail industry to develop a number of recovery initiatives, for example we have introduced new flexible season tickets across England this year to help encourage passengers to return to the railway.