Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment, if any, they have made of the difference in availability for service of bi-mode and electric Intercity Express Programme trains.

When procuring the Intercity Express Programme (IEP) trains, the Department for Transport specified the number of train diagrams required rather than the total number of trains. It was for bidders to decide how many trains were needed to deliver those contracted diagrams, whether electric or bi-mode, based on assumptions for the split of diesel and electric mileages. When making those assessments bidders will have taken into account both the different maintenance needs for electric and bi-mode trains as well as the increased flexibility of having bi-mode trains that are able to fulfil an electric diagram (in the absence of an electric train) but potentially not the other way around.