Department for Transport

Officials have not discussed with Network Rail or relevant local authorities; however, officials have discussed establishing a community rail partnership with c2c which both parties see value in.

Next steps would include building the proposal and securing sufficient funding; officials will continue to explore what opportunities there might be in future business planning rounds.

As part of the first phase of Northern Powerhouse Rail, we will press forward with the work already in hand with Bradford Metropolitan District Council on a business case for a new Bradford station. We expect to reach decisions on the station by Summer 2026 and have made funding available to then move forward into detailed design.

The government is learning the lessons from HS2, taking sufficient time to explore and develop options, building certainty in costs, outputs and benefits, before confirming decisions on details such as construction timelines. We will work closely with local leaders to do that.

As part of the first phase of Northern Powerhouse Rail, we will press forward with the work already in hand with Bradford Metropolitan District Council on a business case for a new Bradford station. We expect to reach decisions on the station by Summer 2026 and have made funding available to then move forward into detailed design.

The government is learning the lessons from HS2, taking sufficient time to explore and develop options, building certainty in costs, outputs and benefits, before confirming decisions on details such as construction timelines. We will work closely with local leaders to do that.

Great British Railways will work closely with the West Yorkshire Combined Authority, including on matters relating to rail funding in Bradford, through the statutory roles established in the Railways Bill and through a future partnership arrangement with GBR. GBR will be required to consult Mayoral Strategic Authorities where decisions on passenger services or rail infrastructure could have a significant impact on their areas. GBR will also have regard to their Local Transport Plans to ensure that local priorities – including how rail services interface with wider local transport networks – are fully considered.

Business Units will be the powerhouse of Great British Railways (GBR), bringing together today’s infrastructure management functions provided by Network Rail, and passenger operations currently led by train operating companies, into a single local team with an accountable leader.

Integrated railway pilots are introducing a single accountable leader for track and train, supported by an integrated executive team within existing frameworks. This is already in place for South-Eastern and South-Western Railway with plans underway for Anglia. These pilots will inform GBR's future Business Unit model.

The detailed design process is underway, including determining the geographic make-up of GBR’s Business Units.

All train and station operators, including Northern, are required by their Accessible Travel Policies to monitor their performance in delivering assistance, including failures. The Office of Rail and Road publish annually the ‘Experience of Passenger Assist’ report which records the experiences of users of Passenger Assist, helping to monitor trends. The most recent report can be accessed at https://www.orr.gov.uk/sites/default/files/2025-07/2024-2025-experiences-of-passenger-assist-research-report.pdf

The Government has been clear that GBR will be incentivised to deliver for passengers. By bringing responsibility for track and train into one organisation, GBR will be able to remove the mixture of conflicting incentives across multiple organisations and realign incentives towards passengers. This is being considered as part of the continuing GBR design process.

The Long-Term Rail Strategy will set out the outcomes we expect GBR to achieve, including an unrelenting focus on passengers. This will inform the development of GBR’s long-term strategic business plans, ensuring passengers, and other users of the railway, remain central to the organisation’s culture.

The continued expectation of a reduction in subsidy for the railways also incentivises growing passenger numbers, as well as benefitting taxpayers.

The Office of Rail and Road (ORR) do not support the creation of new level crossings where there is a reasonably practicable alternative such as a bridge or tunnel. These alternatives should be fully explored and delivered where it is reasonably practicable to do so and after ensuring the proposer has the legal right to cross the railway. In all cases where a new crossing is proposed, a risk assessment approach must be followed so that the costs and benefits of alternatives can be considered alongside the costs and benefits of a level crossing.

The Department receives regular reporting from Avanti West Coast (AWC) on its compliance with regulated ticket office opening hours under Schedule 17 of the Ticketing and Settlement Agreement. Excluding ticket office closures as a result of industrial action or planned engineering works, AWC’s average compliance with its managed ticket office opening hours over the last 12 months was 97 per cent.

The government is already working with Bradford Metropolitan Borough Council on station options, including consideration of the Bradford Interchange site, and has provided funding for business case development. We expect to take decisions on that by summer 2026.

Bradford will be put at the heart of our plans for Northern Powerhouse Rail. Our investment in NPR will provide a catalyst for a major regeneration of Bradford’s Southern Gateway, which is planned to contribute thousands of new homes and commercial development. We will work closely with local leaders to help realise these plans.

Northern Powerhouse Rail will seek to create a turn up and go railway for passengers from Bradford to travel to cities across the growth corridor, including improving connections to Leeds and Manchester.

The government is learning the lessons from HS2 by taking sufficient time to explore and develop options, and so building certainty in costs, outputs and benefits, before confirming decisions on details such as journey times. We will work closely with local leaders to do that.

Bradford will be put at the heart of our plans for Northern Powerhouse Rail. The first phase of NPR, upgrades to lines East of the Pennines for delivery in the 2030s, will be focusing on electrification and upgrades that include the Leeds-Bradford corridor. We will also press forward with the work already in hand with Bradford Metropolitan District Council on a business case for Bradford station. We expect to reach decisions on the station by Summer 2026 and have made funding available to then move forward into detailed design.

The third phase of NPR will improve cross-Pennine connections, and the Government sees Bradford-Manchester as a key part of this overall programme. Further details will be announced in the future, once these have been worked through with local leaders.

As set out in the answer to the question 100962, both growing revenue and delivering value for money for passengers will be a priority.

This government is committed to improving the accessibility of the railway and recognises the social and economic benefits this brings to communities.

On 15 January, we were pleased to announce that 8 Access for All projects will be progressing directly to delivery and 23 projects will undergo design work for potential future delivery.

Full details were provided to the House in a Written Ministerial Statement which can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/improving-accessibility-at-railway-stations-across-britain

Northern Powerhouse Rail will provide up to £45 billion of funding to deliver turn up and go railway services between Liverpool, Manchester, Leeds, Bradford, Sheffield and York. The economic rationale is enabling these areas to function as single high productivity growth corridor.

The Government has not excluded funding potential future rail improvement schemes more widely for areas such as Lancashire. This is not within the Northern Powerhouse Rail programme funding and would be considered through other sources in the normal way, such as future rail network enhancement programme funding.

Yes – I can confirm that every effort is made to learn lessons from other projects, including from the Elizabeth Line, when assessing plans and proposals.

No assessment has been undertaken, as Worplesdon is a lightly used local station. Passengers tend to use Guildford or Woking stations for wider travel.

Under public ownership, Southwestern Railway will be undertaking a complete redesign of its timetable, including services in the Woking area. In the assessment of options, wider economic impacts will be a consideration, alongside other factors such as reducing the net subsidy requirement of the railway, meeting passenger demand and improving operational performance.

Beyond significant carbon savings, the transition to zero emission HGVs is expected to reduce overall air pollution from road transport including through reduced noise pollution and improvements in air quality, leading to better public health.

The consultation explores the potential regulatory design of a new framework and all options remain on the table. A full impact assessment will accompany any final proposal for regulation.

The net access charge for each operator varies for several reasons such as infrastructure provider, and type and length of train being operated. This means it is not meaningful to compare the net costs of one operator against another. The range of net charges payable by the 14 Department for Transport contracted operators is shown in the following table. They include track, station and depot access charges, net of depot and station access income, but exclude charges for electricity consumption.

The government has announced as part of phase one of Northern Powerhouse Rail that it will deliver upgrades between Leeds and York Station in the 2030s. This will be aligned with work being undertaken by Network Rail to develop a sustainable long-term strategy for the East Coast Main Line. We will ensure a coherent plan for the area, building on the work already in hand as part of York Central to maximise the growth opportunities through development and redesign of York Station.

In the coming months London North Eastern Railway will begin introducing advanced AI‑powered tools designed to keep passengers better informed and in control when travelling. This new capability will enable instant travel updates and make it easier for customers to manage their journeys during disruption.

These improvements will be supported by enhanced, data‑driven systems that aim to reduce delays and help deliver a more reliable railway for passengers.

Projects are still in development, but Greater Anglia estimates that between eight and twelve units in total will have physical monitoring equipment installed by the end of this year.

Greater Anglia added extra carriages to a small number of Saturday services operating from Billericay as part of the December 2025 timetable change.

Greater Anglia monitors passenger demand and will make adjustments to train services and capacity where required, and where it is possible to do. I expect Greater Anglia to continue to work with local stakeholders to develop timetables for the future.

Community Rail Partnerships (CRP) are awarded funding from both the Community Rail Network (CRN) and train operating companies. CRPs then allocate funding to station adopter groups within their catchment. Funding has remained at a consistent level since 2019-20.

This government is committed to improving the accessibility of the railway and recognises the social and economic benefits this brings to communities.

In May 2024, the previous government selected 50 stations for initial feasibility work for potential upgrades as part of the Access for All programme, before delivery funding was secured. On 15 January 2026, we confirmed that 8 Access for All projects will be progressing directly to delivery and 23 projects will undergo design work for potential future delivery.

Full details were provided to the House in a Written Ministerial Statement which can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/improving-accessibility-at-railway-stations-across-britain.

Since April 2025, all operators funded by the Department - both public and private - have failed at least one performance benchmark. Performance is measured on a four-weekly basis against ambitious and realistic targets. We expect train operators to work consistently towards meeting these targets and delivering good performance for passengers.

Recent data published by the Office for Road and Rail shows that reliability is higher for operators currently in public ownership under DfT Operator Ltd (DFTO) compared to private sector operators contracted by DfT.

The Department has made no assessment of the potential merits of creating a new brown tourist sign for ruined abbeys.

As announced in the recently published Road Safety Strategy, the department will be establishing a data-led Road Safety Investigation Branch to learn lessons from road incidents, by taking a strategic, thematic approach, focusing on patterns of collisions, injury trends, and systemic safety issues.

There are currently no plans to commission an independent review into the safety performance of hybrid vehicles.

The Department does not hold data that would enable an estimate of fatality rates per vehicle mile travelled by propulsion type.

The STATS19 collection and DVLA records provide a breakdown of fatalities in reported road traffic collisions by vehicle and propulsion type. This information is published in data table RAS0507 available on the gov.uk website.

However, data on mileage driven by vehicles of different propulsion types is not available to the Department. Consequently, it is not possible to calculate fatality rates per mile travelled by propulsion type.

Improving road safety is one of my Department’s highest priorities. Injuries and fatalities from road collisions caused by driving are unacceptable, and this Government will work hard to prevent these tragedies for all road users.

That is why on 7 January 2026, we published our new Road Safety Strategy, setting out our vision for a safer future on our roads for all.

Following updates to the Highway Code in 2022, the department ran large-scale THINK! advertising campaigns to raise awareness of the changes.

Via the THINK! campaign, we are also running year-round radio filler adverts encouraging compliance with the guidance to improve safety for those walking, cycling and horse riding. We will also continue to promote the changes via THINK! and Department for Transport social media channels, as well as through partner organisations.

However, as set out in the strategy, more work is needed to continue embedding these changes and overall awareness of the Highway Code. We are considering options in this area, and further details will be shared in due course.

As our road environment and technologies evolve, providing education for all road users throughout their lifetime is vital to improving road safety. As
announced in the strategy to support a Lifelong Learning approach in the UK, the government will publish for the first time national guidance on the
development and delivery of road safety education, training and publicity. Alongside this, the government will publish a manual to support the implementation of a Lifelong Learning approach for road safety.

Enforcement of the law is a matter for the police who will decide on the evidence of each individual case, whether an offence has been committed and the appropriate action to take.

Funding for Bus Services can be found on GOV.UK at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/local-authority-bus-grant-allocations/labg-revenue-allocations-2026-to-2029

Funding for Active Travel Infrastructure was published as part of the Spending Review 2025, and can be found on GOV.UK at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/spending-review-2025-document

Mode Shift Revenue Support grant: Up to £20 million provisional budget for 2026/27 – shared with Waterborne Freight Grant. Future funding arrangements subject to future departmental business planning.

Construction enabling works have commenced north and south of the River Thames. These include ground works to create haul roads, construction of site compounds, utility works, ecological and archaeological works and extensive pre-construction surveys are ongoing.

The Government welcomes the Opportunity East One Year On report. To support the region, the Chancellor unveiled the OxCam Growth Corridor last year which has the potential to boost the economy by up to £78bn by 2035. This initiative is supported by East-West Rail, which will provide faster journeys between Oxford and Cambridge and unlock up to 100,000 new homes.

During the Spending Review period, the Department will provide Cambridgeshire & Peterborough with £31.8 million to promote buses and £24.9 million to promote active travel schemes. This funding will support local residents to access jobs, education and services.

On 8 January 2026, the Secretary of State announced the publication of the government’s formal response to the 2020 public consultation 'Pavement parking: options for change' which sets out the legislative measures to tackle pavement parking. The government will publish statutory guidance by end of 2026 to assist local authorities in carrying out enforcement in a fair and proportionate manner.

On 8 January 2026, the Secretary of State announced the publication of the government’s formal response to the 2020 public consultation 'Pavement parking: options for change' which sets out the legislative measures to tackle pavement parking.

In the first instance we will give local authorities powers in 2026 to issue Penalty Charge Notices for vehicles parked in a way that unnecessarily obstructs the pavement.

At the next opportunity we will also introduce the necessary primary legislation to make powers available on an opt-in basis to local transport authorities to prohibit pavement parking across their whole area. They will also have powers to exempt locations where pavement parking would still be necessary to maintain traffic flow, such as in narrow streets. Where there is no strategic authority, unitary authorities and county councils would also have the choice to opt in.

Feasibility studies are a routine part of the Department’s approach to assessing potential transport projects, and the associated costs are managed within individual programme budgets rather than held in a single collated dataset. These studies are conducted across a wide range of programmes, and where work does not lead to a project progressing, the expenditure remains part of normal project development activity. Producing a total figure for feasibility studies undertaken over the past five years for projects that did not proceed would therefore require a disproportionate manual review of programme‑level records.

The Department for Transport works closely with the Home Office and the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government on lithium battery safety. The Government has published guidance for roadside recovery operators working with electric vehicles, many of which contain a lithium battery. This guidance is applicable to incidents on the Strategic Road Network. National Highways continues to work with emergency services to ensure that any incidents are resolved as effectively as possible.

We are continuing to work closely with Northern and the supplier to address the problems that have caused Digital Pay As You Go Trial 4 to be delayed, and will launch the trial as soon as possible. Northern will provide an update to participants in the respective trial as soon as possible.

The Department continues to support the accreditation process for Community Rail Partnerships (CRP). The Community Rail Network (CRN) reviews processes, accounts, and governance and recommends to the Department when a CRP has met a certain standard of operation to receive accreditation. The Department works with the CRN to continuously improve this process while maintaining the aims of accreditation.

The Department engages with train operating companies on Community Rail on a regular basis, and train operating companies continue to provide funding for the CRPs they support.

The Government is committed to supporting Community Rail in the longer term, and the establishment of Great British Railways provides the opportunity to improve how we support this important programme. The Department will provide an update if there are any changes to the way in which Community Rail is delivered.

The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) aims to process all applications as quickly as possible. However, driving licence applications where a medical condition(s) must be investigated before a licence can be issued can take longer as they vary widely in complexity and the DVLA is often reliant on information from third parties, including medical professionals, before a licence can be issued.

The DVLA is currently rolling out a new casework system, scheduled to be operational in March 2026, which is expected to deliver significant improvements to the services provided to drivers with medical conditions. When fully implemented, this will provide improved turnaround times, increased capacity, increased automation, higher levels of digital functionality and increased digital communication. To reduce call waiting times and to support customers, the DVLA is also increasing staffing levels in its contact centre.

Applicants renewing an existing licence may be able to continue driving while their application is being processed, providing the driver can meet specific criteria. More information on this can be found at: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1180997/inf1886-can-i-drive-while-my-application-is-with-dvla.pdf.

Under current legislation, private e-scooters are illegal to use on public roads, cycle lanes and pavements, and rental e-scooters can be used but only as part of the Government’s national rental e-scooter trials.

The Government has committed to pursuing legislative reform for micromobility vehicles, which will include e-scooters, when parliamentary time allows.

The impact of potential regulatory requirements such as the need for registration or identification plates, will be fully assessed as regulation is developed. The Department for Transport will consult on any new regulations before they come into force so that all interested parties have a chance to shape the new regime.

The Road Safety Strategy, published on the 7th January, includes consulting on a Minimum Learning Period before learner drivers can take their practical test.

A Minimum Learning Period is designed to prepare people better for a lifetime of safe driving by giving them more time to build up essential skills.

With more preparation for their test more people may pass first or second time, which could help reduce the waiting time for tests by reducing demand from learners booking to retake their test.

Introducing a minimum learning period could raise driving test pass rates and for every 1% increase in pass rate sustained over a year, around 40,000 test slots are freed up over the course of the year. Research suggests that a Minimum Learning Period may increase the pass rate by up to 7 percentage points.

The Department published a new traffic light rating system for all local highway authorities in England on 11 January which rates authorities red, amber or green based on: the condition of their roads; how effectively they spend their record Government funding; and, whether they do so using best practice. This system allows the Government to target support to those who need extra help; red-rated authorities will receive dedicated support to bring them in line with best practice, expert planning and capability assistance.

Bath and North East Somerset Council received an overall amber rating. Its three scorecards show red for condition, green for spend, and amber for wider best practice.

The Government recognises that historic underinvestment has made it difficult for authorities to maintain their roads in the way that they would want to. The Government has therefore confirmed a record £7.3 billion investment into local highways maintenance over the next four years. This new, four-year funding settlement is in addition to the Government's investment of £1.6 billion this year, a £500 million increase compared to last year. By confirming funding allocations for the next four-year period, authorities have certainty to plan ahead and shift from short-term fixes to proactive, preventative maintenance.

Local authorities can further improve their ratings by adopting new innovative approaches trialled through the government's £30 million Live Labs 2 programme. This has been extended by a year to help councils access and adopt more innovative approaches to maintenance, including uptake of longer-lasting, low-carbon materials that reduce costs, emissions and disruption while keeping roads in better condition for longer.