Asked by: Joan Ryan (The Independent Group for Change - Enfield North)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what role his Department has in setting fares on trains operated by Govia Thameslink Railway.
Answered by Claire Perry
The Department for Transport’s role is setting the annual parameters for regulated fare increases. The train operating company (TOC) is obliged to set fares within the limits set by the Secretary of State.
Asked by: Joan Ryan (The Independent Group for Change - Enfield North)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 8 July 2015 to Question 4820 on railways: performance standards, what permission his Department has granted to Govia Thameslink Railway to (a) vary ticket prices and (b) enter into an agreement with Transport for London to share the same-pay-as-you-go fares on suburban rail routes in London.
Answered by Claire Perry
The Department for Transport for (a) have not given Govia Thameslink Railway any permission to vary ticket prices, but for (b) there are agreements in place which govern Oyster/PAYG fares within the Travelcard area.
Asked by: Joan Ryan (The Independent Group for Change - Enfield North)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what information he holds on whether Govia Thameslink Railway (a) has made or (b) intends to make an agreement with Transport for London to share the same pay as you go fares on suburban rail routes in London.
Answered by Claire Perry
We are aware that London based train operators and Transport for London are in discussion with regard to fares, and will notify us of the results of those discussions.
Asked by: Joan Ryan (The Independent Group for Change - Enfield North)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the implementation of the Code of Practice on retail information for rail tickets and services, published in March 2015.
Answered by Claire Perry
Operators must put their customers at the heart of their business and provide the highest standards of service at every retail channel. We welcome the publication of the Code of Practice on Retail Information, the development of which was overseen by the Office of Rail and Road (ORR). The Code gives retailers a clearer understanding of the information they need to provide to passengers to help them choose, buy and use the most appropriate ticket for their journey. The ORR wrote to all train operators in May asking them to assess their compliance with the Code, and is currently reviewing the responses. ORR intends to use this information to target where it thinks further work might be required and will publish an update report in the summer. We will continue to engage with the work the ORR is undertaking and the progress made by train operators to enhance the retail experience for passengers.
Asked by: Joan Ryan (The Independent Group for Change - Enfield North)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the performance of the (a) Abellio Greater Anglia and (b) Govia Thameslink Railway franchises as recorded in the (i) Which? 2015 rail passenger satisfaction survey and (ii) National Rail Passenger Survey 2015 Spring Update.
Answered by Claire Perry
Department officials do meet with Transport Focus and the individual train operators to discuss the results of the bi-annual National Rail Passenger Survey (NRPS). The Spring 2015 NRPS results were published on 25 June 2015, and the results are currently being analysed. Once such analysis has been completed, the results will be considered at those meetings.
The Secretary of State does not commission, nor does he have any input into, market research conducted by the consumer periodical Which? However, the results of the surveys carried out by organisations such as Which? is noted. The Department has not made a formal assessment or adopted a formal position on these surveys.
Asked by: Joan Ryan (The Independent Group for Change - Enfield North)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent discussions he has had with (a) Abellio Greater Anglia and (b) Govia Thameslink Railway franchise on improving the standards of service.
Answered by Claire Perry
The Department holds regular discussions with all franchise train operators about their performance.
In Govia Thameslink Railway’s (GTR) case, since it took over the franchise in September last year, the performance on its Great Northern route has been good. However, performance on the Thameslink route has not been good enough. Senior officials and I have been working with GTR and Network Rail to ensure that the industry identifies and addresses the key issues affecting performance and develops and implements plans to drive improvements in punctuality and reliability for passengers as soon as possible. I have set up regular meetings with industry partners at the most senior level to review its progress against these plans, and recent performance has shown improvement.
The Department has worked with Abellio Greater Anglia and Network Rail to identify the key issues affecting performance and develop long-term plans to improve punctuality and reliability. Abellio Greater Anglia’s recent performance by Public Performance Measure had shown five periods of improvement, and though it has dropped off in the last period for which figures are available, was still broadly on target.
The inner metropolitan services on the West Anglia and Great Eastern Mainline were, as of 31 May this year, devolved to the remit of Transport for London (TfL). Abellio Greater Anglia and the TfL concessionaires are cooperating closely to ensure the standards of service improve.