Found: Western Railway [GWR] since 2008 (with the exception of 2020 when I was asked to be interim MD of South

Found: include support for HAL’s capital investment case, consideration of usage undertakings in respect to South

Found: Greater Anglia (GA) , Great Western Railway (GWR) , London North Eastern Railway ( LNER ), Northern, South

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of extending the (a) Avanti and (b) South Western train contracts.

Answered by Huw Merriman - Minister of State (Department for Transport)

For Avanti West Coast (AWC), no assessment has been made as the operator has a contract with a core term until 15 October 2026, after which the Department can terminate the contract at any point with three months' notice.

The National Rail Contract for South Western Railway ends in May 2025 having been extended by the maximum two-year period to a maximum term of four years. A Prior Information Notice was issued on 2 April 2024 setting out the Department’s intention to seek to obtain a Direct Award with SWR at the end of the current contract. The proposed Direct Award is expected to have a core term of three years and a potential maximum term of up to eight years.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 29 January 2024 to Question 11198 on Railways: WiFi, for which train operating companies the quality of wi-fi provision is (a) subject to a minimum service requirement and (b) a key performance indicator.

Answered by Huw Merriman - Minister of State (Department for Transport)

In general, under the Department's National Rail Contracts and Service Contracts, Wi-Fi quality standards are for train operators to determine. However, South Western Railway has a specific business plan commitment to provide, on an initial trial basis, free super-fast Wi-Fi on certain types of rolling stock between Earlsfield and Basingstoke stations.

Any requirements relating to the provision of Wi-Fi by train operating companies contracted by devolved and local authorities would be a matter for those authorities.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department has taken to help ensure the delivery of planned facilities improvements to Pokesdown station by Network Rail.

Answered by Huw Merriman - Minister of State (Department for Transport)

DfT Officials are in regular contact with South Western Railway, Network Rail and the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council, through all-party meetings and correspondence, to ensure that the facilities improvements at Pokesdown for Boscombe station are carried out. A total of £5.7m has been allocated by all parties to the project, which is currently in the design stage, with funding agreements to shortly be agreed.

Found: information notice HTML Details The rail contract between the Secretary of State for Transport and South

Found: Western Railway* 5,217 ScotRail 4,968 Southeastern* 4,481 Avanti West Coast* 3,297

Found: Order of the British Empire Medal of the Order of the British Empire Sam CAMFIELD Design Manager, South

Found: the community in the London Borough of Harrow (London, Greater London) Sam CAMFIELD Design Manager, South

Found: However, further proposed cuts to South Western Railway servic es would cancel out any forecast improvement

Found: Western Railway* 5,217 ScotRail 4,968 Southeastern* 4,481 Avanti West Coast* 3,297

Found: Western Railway* 5,217 ScotRail 4,968 Southeastern* 4,481 Avanti West Coast* 3,297