Asked by: Helen Hayes (Labour - Dulwich and West Norwood)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, in the context of a proposed reduction in rail service frequency and carriage numbers in London, whether his Department has undertaken modelling of potential modal changes from rail towards (a) private cars and (b) other forms of public transport in (i) London and (ii) the South East.
Answered by Kevin Foster
Govia Thameslink Railway is making evidence-based timetable interventions agreed in the 22/23 business plan process that better optimises service levels to balance capacity and demand. The Department will continue to monitor implementation and changes in demand carefully to identify where further interventions may be required in the future.
Asked by: Helen Hayes (Labour - Dulwich and West Norwood)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, in the context of the proposed reduction in rail service frequency and carriage numbers in London, what estimate his Department has made of the total amount of funding to be returned to the public purse in reduced industry costs in the form of leading payments.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
Under the contracts with rail operators, the Department receives revenue collected and pays most operating costs incurred by the train operating companies through a regular franchise payment, made roughly every four weeks. This payment is to fund the ongoing provision of passenger rail services by these operators. For more information on these Departmental payments to passenger rail operators, please see the following link:
Asked by: Helen Hayes (Labour - Dulwich and West Norwood)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he (a) has had and (b) plans to have discussions with rail operators on plans to restore services that have been recently withdrawn in London at a future date.
Answered by Wendy Morton
The pandemic has changed travel habits, and operators needed to adapt quickly to passengers’ new travel patterns.
Train operators have been working with their local markets and key stakeholders, including passenger groups, to ensure the needs of local communities are prioritised in the development of all service offers.
Operators will continue to develop demand-led timetables that can adapt to passengers’ evolving needs, whilst also providing stability and making the running of the railways fairer for taxpayers.
Asked by: Helen Hayes (Labour - Dulwich and West Norwood)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he (a) has had and (b) plans to have discussions with rail operators on the role of public consultation prior to withdrawing services or reducing carriage numbers.
Answered by Wendy Morton
The pandemic has changed travel habits, and operators needed to adapt quickly to passengers’ new travel patterns.
Train operators have been working with their local markets and key stakeholders, including passenger groups, to ensure the needs of local communities are prioritised in the development of all service offers.
Operators will continue to develop demand-led timetables that can adapt to passengers’ evolving needs, whilst also providing stability and making the running of the railways fairer for taxpayers.
Asked by: Helen Hayes (Labour - Dulwich and West Norwood)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the Prime Minister’s comments in his speech of June 2022 on the benefits of closing ticket offices that are not well used, what recent assessment he has made of the potential impact of such ticket office closures on (a) jobs and (b) the accessibility of the rail network in south east London.
Answered by Wendy Morton
No final decision has been taken on ticket offices. In considering any proposed changes and making any decisions, the Department will consider the appropriate equalities analysis and the potential impacts of any decisions on passengers with protected characteristics.
Asked by: Helen Hayes (Labour - Dulwich and West Norwood)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the comments by the Prime Minister in his speech of 9 July 2022 on the benefits of closing ticket offices that are not well used, whether he has had discussions with representatives of (a) Southeastern and (b) Govia Thameslink regarding potential ticket office closures in south east London.
Answered by Wendy Morton
No final decision has been taken on ticket offices. Any potential changes to the opening hours of ticket offices, or proposals for closing ticket offices would be led by the Train Operating Companies directly and follow the regulatory obligations set out in the Ticketing and Settlement Agreement. Discussions regarding this issue have not taken place with Southeastern Trains or Govia Thameslink Railway.
Asked by: Helen Hayes (Labour - Dulwich and West Norwood)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, for what reason his Department is delayed in providing annual updates on the Rail Network Enhancement Pipeline.
Answered by Wendy Morton
We remain committed to publishing the RNEP update, which has been delayed by the need to take account of the impacts of the pandemic and the Spending Review. We want to provide as much clarity and certainty as possible on rail enhancements and will set out our plans shortly.
Asked by: Helen Hayes (Labour - Dulwich and West Norwood)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when the Rail Network Enhancement Pipeline will next be updated.
Answered by Wendy Morton
We remain committed to publishing the RNEP update, which has been delayed by the need to take account of the impacts of the pandemic and the Spending Review. We want to provide as much clarity and certainty as possible on rail enhancements and will set out our plans shortly.
Asked by: Helen Hayes (Labour - Dulwich and West Norwood)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he has taken to consult (a) hon. Members representing London constituencies, (b) Greater London Assembly members, (c) local authorities and (d) the London Mayor on train timetable alterations made since March 2021 in response to the covid-19 outbreak.
Answered by Wendy Morton
In light of the surge in Omicron cases and rising staff sickness, the rail industry has made plans to operate the maximum level of service it can run reliably within existing operational constraints, to ensure passengers can plan their journeys with confidence.
Responding effectively to the challenges posed by this pandemic meant that the rail industry had to amend its timetables at short notice, cope with fluctuating passenger demand and staff absence, and act quickly on feedback from stakeholders. Train operators worked closely with their local markets and key stakeholders, including passenger groups, Members of Parliament, local and mayoral authorities, to find the best solution to the needs of the local community, and run a reliable service within existing current operational constraints. Industry partners will continue to collaborate to develop attractive timetables that are reliable and deliver excellent performance for passengers.
Asked by: Helen Hayes (Labour - Dulwich and West Norwood)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what savings have been made as a result of train timetable alterations made in response to the covid-19 outbreak since March 2021.
Answered by Wendy Morton
The national rail timetable changed three times since March 2021, in May, September and December. The industry sought to improve its passenger service offer and deliver an attractive, reliable and punctual timetable that met passengers’ needs. The changes implemented throughout 2021 increased the number of services that ran, which did not therefore attract cost savings.