Asked by: Clive Efford (Labour - Eltham)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to monitor the environmental effect of flights going to and from London City Airport; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by John Hayes
Under the Environmental Noise (England) Regulations 2006 (SI. 2006 No. 2238), airports such as London City are required to produce noise action plans at least every five years. This requires an assessment of noise impacts around airports and for the airport to identify suitable measures to address noise problems. The Secretary of State is responsible for approving noise action plans.
London City Airport also funds the employment of an Airport Monitoring Officer at the London Borough of Newham. This role includes ensuring that the airport complies with requirements placed upon them, including those related to the environment – such as not operating flights at night.
Asked by: Clive Efford (Labour - Eltham)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what restrictions are in place controlling flights going to and from London City Airport; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by John Hayes
London City Airport’s operational hours are limited to minimise the impact on local residents. The airport is permitted to operate flights between the following hours:
The final 30 minutes of operation is solely for flights scheduled earlier which have been unavoidably delayed.
The total number of aircraft movements (take off and landings) is limited to 120,000 per annum.
Asked by: Clive Efford (Labour - Eltham)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 19 January 2016 to Question 22574, for what reasons, during the closure of the Bexleyheath rail line during the week beginning 11 January 2016, (a) Southeastern services on adjacent lines were cancelled, (b) there was a lack of information about alternative services and (c) staff had no information to pass onto customers about alternative services or when replacement bus services would arrive; what systems were put in place to communicate regular updates of information to staff so customers could be given accurate advice; what advice was given to staff regarding assistance for people with disabilities; what steps he is taking to determine whether the responses to the situation from Network Rail and Southeastern were adequate; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Claire Perry
Following the unfortunate landslip at Barnehust, it was necessary to close the line serving Bexleyheath in order that repairs could be carried out.
As a result of the Bexleyheath line closure, Southeastern have had to run more trains on the adjacent lines to provide extra capacity for passengers. This led to minimal cancellations to the scheduled timetable on adjacent lines.
Information regarding alternative travel arrangements was provided by posters at affected stations, station announcements, on National Rail Industry systems, the Southeastern website and on social media.
Staff were given regular updates on the alternative travel arrangements and station announcements were made where appropriate. Replacement buses were in operation between Lewisham and Dartford via Bexleyheath in both directions. Other bus services were accepting Southeastern tickets, additionally, Docklands Light Railway and London Underground were accepting tickets where appropriate. Regular updates were provided to station management, who provided briefings to their station staff. The Passenger Assist service was in effect and Southeastern staff were advised to book taxis from stations that were not accessible for those passengers who required them.
My officials were in regular contact with Southeastern and Network Rail, who ensured that the line was opened as quickly as possible and that passengers were kept informed at all times.
Asked by: Clive Efford (Labour - Eltham)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 19 January 2016 to Question 22573, what equipment and buildings of any kind situated along the side of the Bexleyheath rail line were damaged in the landslides which blocked the line during the week beginning 11 January 2016; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Claire Perry
Network Rail has advised that a signalling control cabinet was pushed over by the recent landslip at Barnehurst, and then had to be moved to a location away from the affected area to enable access to temporarily stabilise the landslide. This involved moving the staging on which the cabinet was sited, the cabinet itself, and the cables.
Network Rail further advises that the earthwork was last examined on 5 February 2015, when its condition showed no signs of impending failure. Its condition prior to the earthworks failure was such that its next inspection would have been three years from that date.
Asked by: Clive Efford (Labour - Eltham)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 19 January 2016 to Question 22575, whether failure to inspect equipment or buildings situated adjacent to Bexleyheath rail line contributed to the line being blocked during the week beginning 11 January 2016; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Claire Perry
Network Rail has advised that a signalling control cabinet was pushed over by the recent landslip at Barnehurst, and then had to be moved to a location away from the affected area to enable access to temporarily stabilise the landslide. This involved moving the staging on which the cabinet was sited, the cabinet itself, and the cables.
Network Rail further advises that the earthwork was last examined on 5 February 2015, when its condition showed no signs of impending failure. Its condition prior to the earthworks failure was such that its next inspection would have been three years from that date.
Asked by: Clive Efford (Labour - Eltham)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether Southeastern trains and Network Rail have contingency plans in the event of a rail line being closed due to unforeseen circumstances in order to (a) minimise disruption to other rail lines, (b) provide extra capacity on adjacent lines to get passengers as close as possible to their usual destinations and (c) ensure that up-to-the-minute information is provided to passengers regarding alternative routes and replacement services; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Claire Perry
Southeastern have Key Route Strategies in place in case of a line closure. These include options such as replacement buses, ticket acceptance on other routes and if possible on other forms of transport.
Where events are likely to disrupt the service longer term, Southeastern consider re-working the timetable to minimise disruption as much as possible.
Southeastern work closely with Network Rail in managing such events. Network Rail and Southeastern have confirmed that whilst rail lines in the South East are extremely busy and tend to already run at capacity at peak times, it may sometimes be possible to provide extra capacity by strengthening the service on adjacent lines, depending on both rolling stock availability and operating capacity in the peak.
Network Rail support train operators in providing timely information to passengers. Arrangements for putting contingency timetables in place have been improved significantly in recent years, which enables National Rail Enquiry Service to be amended earlier and more timely information to be communicated to passengers. This helps particularly with communicating timetable changes and rail replacement services.
Asked by: Clive Efford (Labour - Eltham)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when he expects repairs to the Bexleyheath line to be completed; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Claire Perry
I am glad to inform the House that Network Rail re-opened the Bexleyheath line on the morning of 15 January following the landslide that temporarily closed the line.
Asked by: Clive Efford (Labour - Eltham)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether railway verges are surveyed to identify locations where there is a danger that landslides may occur; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Claire Perry
This is an operational matter for Network Rail. Network Rail advises that its railway earthwork assets are inspected by suitably qualified engineers at intervals of 1, 3, 5 and 10 years. The frequency of inspection is driven by the hazard rating of the asset, which is calculated from data that is recorded during visual observations across the slope.
The likelihood of an earthwork asset failing increases during periods of rainfall, in particular during extreme rainfall events. During times where there is an increased likelihood of failure, additional inspections are undertaken. These are focussed with available resources on locations of highest safety risk, where the consequence of a failure is greatest.
Asked by: Clive Efford (Labour - Eltham)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many trains were reported as delayed due to winter sunlight since 4 January 2016; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Claire Perry
This Department for Transport does not routinely collect the information requested. However, we understand that on 12 January 2016 around 11 Southeastern trains were delayed by up to 10 minutes for this reason.
Asked by: Clive Efford (Labour - Eltham)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what explanation he has received for the cause of recent landslides on the Bexleyheath rail line; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Claire Perry
Network Rail have informed me that heavy and persistent rainfall caused the landslip.