Asked by: Nick Fletcher (Conservative - Don Valley)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will take steps to ensure that blind and partially-sighted people continue to have access to ticket offices at railway stations.
Answered by Huw Merriman - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
When proposing major changes to ticket office opening hours, including closures, operators are required to take into account the adequacy of the proposed alternatives in relation to the needs of disabled passengers; and to include this in the notice of the proposal sent to other operators and passenger groups. We would also expect operators to consider all equality related needs and make this clear in their consultation.
Together with the industry, we want to improve and modernise the passenger experience by moving staff out from ticket offices to provide more help and advice in customer focused roles. No currently staffed station will be unstaffed as a result of industry changes, and train operators will ensure staff are well located to meet passenger needs in future.
Station staff will still provide face-to-face services on the railways, which assists those who need additional support, and cannot or do not want to use contactless or mobile tickets. All staff in customer facing roles or with managed responsibilities undertake enhanced disability awareness training and TOCs are already required to provide this. These reforms will not affect these arrangements.
The Department recently hosted roundtable discussions with industry and accessibility and transport groups to discuss this matter and ensure their views are understood. We continue to engage with the Disabled Persons Transport Advisory Committee through the process.
Asked by: Louise Haigh (Labour - Sheffield, Heeley)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 3 July 2023 to Question 191337 on Railways: Tickets, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of ticket office closures on passenger (a) experience and (b) ability to travel.
Answered by Huw Merriman - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
When proposing major changes to ticket office opening hours, including closures, operators are required to take into account the adequacy of the proposed alternatives in relation to the needs of all passengers; and to include this in the notice of the proposal sent to other operators and passenger groups. We would also expect operators to consider all equality related needs and make this clear in their consultation.
No currently staffed station will be unstaffed as a result of industry changes, and train operators will ensure staff are well located to meet passenger needs in future. This will include assisting those who need additional support and cannot or do not want to use digital tickets.
Asked by: Vicky Foxcroft (Labour - Lewisham, Deptford)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the Answer of 1 February 2022 to Question 113209 on Railway Stations: Disability, what progress his Department has made on conducting a network-wide accessibility audit of station facilities at all 2,565 mainline railway stations in Great Britain to inform future investment decisions.
Answered by Huw Merriman - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
Work is now complete on auditing all stations across Great Britain to understand how accessible they are for passengers with a range of requirements. We have commissioned the Great British Railways Transition Team to implement data platforms to (a) allow passengers to access this information to better plan their journeys and (b) allow the rail industry to better plan how they operate the network.
Asked by: John Hayes (Conservative - South Holland and The Deepings)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to invest in rail infrastructure in Lincolnshire
Answered by Huw Merriman - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
Investment will see us continue to support ambitious and transformative growth plans for our railways, particularly in the North and Midlands. The way people use the railway is changing and we are investing to make sure it supports passengers, freight and the economy for the future.
The Integrated Rail Plan (IRP) commits to upgrading and improving line speeds and capacity on the East Coast Main Line, which will have benefits to services to Lincoln. We have provided Network Rail with early-stage development funding to begin consideration of how these ambitious route-wide plans can be delivered as efficiently as possible.
This IRP activity will build upon the £1.2 billion East Coast Enhancements Programme – a collection of infrastructure upgrades across the route, helping to deliver journey time, reliability and capacity improvements.
Asked by: Wera Hobhouse (Liberal Democrat - Bath)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when he plans to introduce legislative proposals to (a) create Great British railways and (b) progress contractual reforms for train operators.
Answered by Huw Merriman - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
We are working closely with the Great British Railways Transition Team (GBRTT) and the sector and will progress legislation when parliamentary time allows. Many reforms and tangible benefits for rail users can be delivered ahead of legislation, including workforce reform, continuing the rollout of Pay-As-You-Go ticketing, simplifying fares, building local partnerships as well as the publication of the first draft of the Long-Term Strategy for Rail.
New Passenger Service Contracts will balance the right performance incentives with simple, commercially driven targets that ensure a central role for the private sector in delivering for passengers. We will consult with the market to develop and design the detail of the new contracts, before launching competitions in due course.
Asked by: Lord Patten (Conservative - Life peer)
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.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
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.
Asked by: Lord Berkeley (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether the Consolidated Online Retail Solution is the only new rail retailing platform that (1) they, or (2) representatives of the Great British Railways Transition Team, are proposing; and if there are any alternative proposals, what those entail.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
As set out in the Plan for Rail, we recognise that the current multitude of train company websites with different standards of service is confusing to passengers. We are continuing to review the best way to address this and are working closely with the rail sector to do this.
We will also open up railway data and systems, whilst lowering barriers to entry for the industry. For ticketing, that means a more competitive retail market and we welcome new players to spur more innovation and give passengers the services they need.
Further updates on rail retailing proposals will be provided in due course.
Asked by: Lord Berkeley (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether any new rail retailing platform that (1) they, or (2) representatives from the Great British Railways Transition Team, are proposing will be subject to full and open public tender.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
As set out in the Plan for Rail, we recognise that the current multitude of train company websites with different standards of service is confusing to passengers. We are continuing to review the best way to address this and are working closely with the rail sector to do this.
We will also open up railway data and systems, whilst lowering barriers to entry for the industry. For ticketing, that means a more competitive retail market and we welcome new players to spur more innovation and give passengers the services they need.
Further updates on rail retailing proposals will be provided in due course.
Asked by: Louise Haigh (Labour - Sheffield, Heeley)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the Answer of 26 January 2023 to Question 129879 on Railways: Midlands and North of England, what assessment the Department has made of the potential impact on (a) services and (b) passengers at intermediate stations on the East Coast Mainline of (a) no longer being served and (b) receiving a reduced service as a result of the changes.
Answered by Huw Merriman - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
As previously confirmed in the response to question 129879, detailed timetabling work for the Integrated Rail Plan will be conducted at a later stage of project development. Once developed, an updated East Coast Main Line timetable specification would be subject to public consultation.
Asked by: Lord Berkeley (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what growth in rail passenger numbers along the main line between Penzance and Plymouth was achieved by the introduction of a 30-minute frequency service prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
We do not have a complete set of data to present at this time. We have asked Great Western Railway to write to the Noble Lord when the information is available and this information will be placed in the Libraries of the House.