Asked by: James Wild (Conservative - North West Norfolk)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions he has had with the Rail Delivery Group on the potential impact of proposed rail ticket office closures on the availability of ticket types; and whether he is taking steps to ensure the availability of all ticket types at train stations.
Answered by Huw Merriman
We recognise there are a wide range of fares and tickets offered to passengers, and that not all products are offered consistently online or at ticket vending machines. However, an estimated 99% of all transactions made at ticket offices last year could be made at TVMs or online.
The rail industry is looking to expand digital ticketing options and make them even easier for passengers to use through upgrades to ticket vending machines and digitisation of more tickets and processes.
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. This includes ensuring that passengers can easily buy the right ticket for the journey they want to make, with consideration of the product range available at the station and what support is available to help with purchase.
Passengers will not be expected to travel out of their way to buy a ticket and will be able to buy en-route or at their destination.
Asked by: James Wild (Conservative - North West Norfolk)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of extending the criteria of the HGV Parking and Driver Welfare Grant Scheme to include new lorry parks.
Answered by Richard Holden - Shadow Secretary of State for Transport
Good quality roadside facilities remain a priority for the Government. The first application window for the HGV Parking and Driver Welfare Grant Scheme closed on 24 February 2023 and the Department for Transport is now evaluating applications in accordance with scheme criteria.
Improving facilities on existing sites was seen as the best way to utilise funds and raise the quality of facilities for HGV drivers in the short term.
An assessment of the process and criteria for the first round of applications will inform criteria for future application windows and any decision to extend the scheme to include funding the development of new lorry parks.
Asked by: James Wild (Conservative - North West Norfolk)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether there are plans to upgrade rolling stock on the Govia Thameslink Railway route from King’s Cross to King’s Lynn.
Answered by Huw Merriman
This route is operated by modern Class 387 and, with effect from May 2023, a limited number of Class 700 trains per day, both of which are less than ten years old. There are currently no plans to upgrade these train interiors; however, they will be fitted with new technology from the £1.8 billion investment under the East Coast Digital Programme which will deliver signalling upgrades resulting in an even safer, more reliable and resilient East Coast Mainline.
Asked by: James Wild (Conservative - North West Norfolk)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of establishing pilot schemes to use AI to identify vehicles from which litter is discarded on motorways.
Answered by Richard Holden - Shadow Secretary of State for Transport
There are a small number of products available that claim to be able to detect littering from vehicles. National Highways is aware of the opportunities of using AI for this purpose and is exploring a range of options to potentially partner with a local authority to use AI enabled CCTV cameras to capture littering from vehicles.
Asked by: James Wild (Conservative - North West Norfolk)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when he plans to publish the Rail Network Enhancement Pipeline update.
Answered by Huw Merriman
Following the Autumn Statement on 17 November we are in the process of reviewing the RNEP and will make the outcome public once that work is complete.
Asked by: James Wild (Conservative - North West Norfolk)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the (a) highest, (b) lowest and (c) median Cost Benefit Ratio was for rail upgrade projects approved under the Rail Network Enhancements Pipeline.
Answered by Huw Merriman
The Benefit Cost Ratio (BCR) is only one element of the economic case we consider, and the economic case is itself one of 5 dimensions to be considered. Some of our projects do not have estimated BCRs.
The highest core BCR within the RNEP is “financially positive”. This occurs when the revenues generated from an investment outweigh the upfront capital costs and the ongoing operating costs. The lowest core BCR we have recorded is from the bottom end of a range of potential options for a project at an early stage of development and is 0.4.
The median BCR in our available dataset is 1.91, however, given the range of maturity, sensitivities and assumptions involved in BCRs and the fact that this is one element of one case in the business cases for enhancements projects, this median should not be interpreted as meaningfully representative of the value of rail enhancements or the portfolio.
Asked by: James Wild (Conservative - North West Norfolk)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the Strategic Outline Business Case for the A10 West Winch Housing Access Road submitted to his Department by Norfolk County Council.
Answered by Lucy Frazer
The Government approved the Strategic Outline Business Case on 7th July. This enables Norfolk County Council to develop an Outline Business Case which it plans to submit to the Department in spring 2023. The Department has provided £698,000 as a grant to assist the Council with the costs of developing the business case.
Asked by: James Wild (Conservative - North West Norfolk)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many additional (a) passenger and (b) freight services would be provided under the recommended option submitted by Network Rail in its outline business case for the Ely Area Capacity Enhancement under the Rail Network Enhancement Pipeline.
Answered by Wendy Morton - Shadow Minister (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
An update on the scheme will be provided in an updated Rail Network Enhancements Portfolio (RNEP) in due course.