Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of whether a shortage of diesel fuel was the reason for South Western Railways ceasing to provide a full West of England service from Exeter into London Waterloo in the week ending 28 April; what discussions have they had with (1) the train company, and (2) the rail regulator; and what assessment they have made of the cost to the regional economy of three days without trains.

Department Officials worked closely and extensively with South Western Railway (SWR) to understand the root cause, solution and timelines for returning to the full timetable. It was determined that the cause was contaminated bio fuel in the storage tanks at Salisbury Depot. SWR has hired an independent investigator to find out how and why this occurred which will take a few weeks to conclude.

SWR returned to its normal timetable from Friday 28 April, which included direct services between Exeter and London Waterloo. Some Exeter to Waterloo services and services between Salisbury and Southampton returned earlier. The cost to the regional economy was minimised as passengers had the option to travel via Salisbury and Basingstoke or to change tickets to another operator on a similar route.