Oral Answers to Questions

Charlotte Nichols Excerpts

Thursday 11th September 2025 Commons Chamber

The Secretary of State was asked—

[Charlotte Nichols (Warrington North) (Lab)]

1. What steps she is taking to improve passenger rail performance.

[The Secretary of State for Transport (Heidi Alexander)]

The previous Government’s neglect of the railways saw a decade of decline in passenger performance, but we are starting to see performance stabilise. Passengers are responding to these improvements, and passenger numbers were up 7% last year. We are now working with the rail industry on a performance restoration framework with five clear focus areas, including timetable resilience, staffing and keeping trains safely moving during disruptive events, to help restore the performance that passengers deserve.

[Charlotte Nichols]

I am sure I speak for all fellow MPs on the west coast main line who are regular commuters on Avanti when I say that having to plan our weeks around its appalling service and regular last-minute delays and cancellations is among the worst parts of the job. My constituents—both those travelling north to Wigan and Cumbria and those travelling south to London—are fed up with the service, which affects their ability to work, visit family and travel for leisure. What consideration has the Secretary of State given to reviewing whether Avanti has breached the terms of its franchise contract, and accelerating the process by which it can be brought into public ownership?

[Heidi Alexander]

I am obviously sorry to hear about the issues that my hon. Friend and her constituents experience when attempting to travel on Avanti West Coast. I know how frustrating these issues can be, but let me reassure her that while performance has improved, officials continue to hold regular meetings with Avanti and Network Rail to try to resolve matters. We have always been clear that we will transfer operations to public ownership when contracts end, rather than spending money on breaking contracts early. We expect the transfers to have completed by the end of 2027.