Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have made any assessment of differing levels of performance and reliability between bi-mode Intercity Express Programme trains and electric trains when in traffic.

The Intercity Express Programme agreements embody reliability targets that are designed to produce a step change in performance for the benefit of passengers and to create value to the taxpayer for the next 27.5 years. Those reliability targets were built up using different assumptions for diesel and electric operations, the precise levels of which remain commercially confidential, and will have a direct impact on the payments made to Agility Trains. Once the full fleet is in service and current electrification programme is complete, the payments made to Agility Trains and deductions for poor performance will make no distinction over whether in diesel or electric operation.