Asked by: Kelvin Hopkins (Independent - Luton North)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what reasons Govia Thameslink Railway has given to his Department for short train formations in the last 12 months.
Answered by Paul Maynard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Department does not hold information on why a peak train has been short formed, except when it is subject to a force majeure or service recovery claim. In such instances, an operator needs to submit sufficient evidence of mitigations to the department. This is the case in respect of Govia Thameslink Railway’s current force majeure claim.
Asked by: Kelvin Hopkins (Independent - Luton North)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, on what date the current managing director of Passenger Services became a directly employed member of staff in his Department.
Answered by Paul Maynard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
The current Managing Director of Passenger Services became a directly employed member of staff at the Department for Transport on 1st November 2014.
Asked by: Kelvin Hopkins (Independent - Luton North)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will list the number of (a) closed and (b) pending applications for open access operation on the national rail network that have been referred to his Department since January 2010.
Answered by Paul Maynard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
Open access track access applications are a matter for the Office of Rail and Road (ORR). They are not specifically referred to the Department.
The ORR publishes a list of all historic and pending decisions it has made on track access applications on its website:
Asked by: Kelvin Hopkins (Independent - Luton 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 working relationship between his Department's managing director of Passenger Services and (a) Renaissance Trains and (b) First Class Partnerships; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Paul Maynard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Department has arrangements in place to manage any actual or perceived conflicts of interest which may arise in relation to its senior members of staff. This process does not include routine assessments of the kind referred to.
Asked by: Kelvin Hopkins (Independent - Luton North)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether under the terms of its franchise agreement Govia Thameslink Railway is required to consult stakeholders before introducing a change to the timetable for its services.
Answered by Paul Maynard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
For planned timetable changes, Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) is required to consult stakeholders before introducing them. However, when – as is the case for the revised timetable which came into effect on Southern and Gatwick Express services on 11 July a revised timetable has been introduced to mitigate the impact of official and unofficial industrial action – no consultation is required. GTR has an overriding obligation to act in the overall interests of passengers and to take all reasonable measures to avoid or reduce the impact of any disruption.
Asked by: Kelvin Hopkins (Independent - Luton North)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when he plans to announce the award of the next franchise for passenger services on the Greater Anglia line.
Answered by Claire Perry
The successful bidder for the East Anglia franchise will help us realise our ambitious plans for East Anglia’s rail network. We have been clear that as a minimum they must provide a modern service with state of the art trains, and also introduce at least two 90-minute services each way between London and Norwich. In addition they must invest heavily in improving stations.
We continue to consider the bids and will announce the new operator in due course.
Asked by: Kelvin Hopkins (Independent - Luton North)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department is required to consult (a) passenger groups, (b) trade unions and (c) Network Rail before the introduction of an emergency timetable on Govia Thameslink Railway services can take place.
Answered by Claire Perry
Emergency timetables are introduced by the rail industry in reaction to specific circumstances as they are responsible for operating the railway and do not need the prior approval of the Secretary of State. GTR has introduced a revised timetable which seeks to use the resources that are likely to be available in order to provide a service that passengers can rely on. It is for the operator, in conjunction with Network Rail, to manage the timetable effectively.
Asked by: Kelvin Hopkins (Independent - Luton North)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether external consultants were involved in the design of the (a) Remedial Plan or (b) emergency timetable for Govia Thameslink Railway services.
Answered by Claire Perry
The Department did not design either the Remedial Plan, or the revised timetable being introduced on 11 July. Emergency timetables are introduced by the rail industry in reaction to specific circumstances as they are responsible for operating the railway and do not need the prior approval of the Secretary of State.
Asked by: Kelvin Hopkins (Independent - Luton North)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what proportion of non-planned Govia Thameslink Railway services were cancelled in each reporting period since July 2015.
Answered by Claire Perry
There have not been, and there are, no ‘non-planned’ services.
Asked by: Kelvin Hopkins (Independent - Luton North)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether the emergency timetable for Southern Rail services to be introduced from 11 July 2016 is in breach of the level of planned service train cancellations set out in the Remedial Plan agreed between Govia Thameslink Railway and his Department in February 2016.
Answered by Claire Perry
Under the Franchise Agreement, where GTR can provide the evidence that cancellations are due to official or unofficial industrial action, they can claim Force Majeure, which they have done. The Govia Thameslink Railway Franchise Agreement in Schedule 7.1 sets out the performance benchmarks and financial regime that is in place in relation to cancellations. A copy of the Franchise Agreement can be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/govia-thameslink .
The department is monitoring the position on a regular basis.