Asked by: Kieran Mullan (Conservative - Bexhill and Battle)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she plans to fund (a) rail infrastructure and (b) fleet modernisation projects at (i) East Midlands Railway and (ii) West Midlands Trains (A) during and (B) following their potential transition to public ownership.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The process of transitioning railway passenger services into public ownership should not impact investment projects. Existing projects can continue unless there is a good reason for review; with new projects being considered on their merits. The Department will work closely with private sector train operating companies and Network Rail during the transition process to understand the position of any investment programmes, and build these into transition planning if appropriate.
Railway passenger services currently operated by private sector companies under contract to the Secretary of State will transfer into DfT OLR Holdings Ltd (DOHL) when current contracts end, reach their contractual break point, or if they fail. DOHL is tasked with undertaking transfers efficiently and effectively, with no disruption to passengers and employees. It has managed four successful transfers in recent years and is scaling up to ensure the successful transfer of more services into public ownership.
Asked by: Kieran Mullan (Conservative - Bexhill and Battle)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she plans to take to support open access operators.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
We are committed to delivering benefits for both passengers and taxpayers, and there will remain a role for open access services where they provide improved connectivity and choice. We will also continue to work to protect access to the network for all operators as we take forward the Railways Bill.
Asked by: Kieran Mullan (Conservative - Bexhill and Battle)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when she plans to set specific performance targets for the nationalisation of the railways.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Railway passenger services currently operated by private sector companies under contract to the Secretary of State will transfer into DfT OLR Holdings Ltd (DOHL) when current contracts reach their end date or contractual break point.
The Government will continue to set targets for public sector train operating companies on a range of measures including punctuality, reliability and quality of service as appropriate, and will continue to hold them to account for performance against these targets. Modern service agreements, currently in development, will come into force for each train operator when operations transition into public ownership.
Asked by: Kieran Mullan (Conservative - Bexhill and Battle)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how timetable adjustments will be managed (a) during and (b) after the transition of operations into public ownership.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
There will not be any immediate changes to how timetable adjustments are managed during and immediately after the transition of passenger train operations into public ownership. Railway passenger services currently operated by private sector companies under contract to the Secretary of State will transfer into DfT OLR Holdings Ltd when current contracts end or reach their contractual break point, and timetable adjustments will be managed as they currently are.
As announced in the King’s Speech 2024, forthcoming legislation will establish Great British Railways – an arm’s length body which will act as a “directing mind”, with a relentless focus on delivering for passengers and freight customers. As outlined in Getting Britain Moving, the Government’s vision is that, within the clear strategic direction set by the Secretary of State, Great British Railways will, once established, have operational independence and be responsible for planning timetables.
Asked by: Kieran Mullan (Conservative - Bexhill and Battle)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will publish her Department's detailed plans for the extension of HS2 to Euston.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The Government is working at pace to review the position it has inherited on HS2, including options for Euston. We will set out a clear plan in due course.
Asked by: Kieran Mullan (Conservative - Bexhill and Battle)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she plans to take to tackle (a) variances in employment terms and conditions and (b) the introduction of technological innovations in the rail sector.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
We are committed to delivering the biggest overhaul of our railways in a generation, and ensure that Great British Railways (GBR) can drive innovation across the network.
As we bring a fragmented industry together, we will need to consider a range of options on the right approach for future terms and conditions, taking account of employment law requirements.
On the introduction of technological innovations, we expect a joined up industry to do more and faster in the use of technology for safety, cost reduction, revenue growth and accessibility, and we expect GBR to take a firm lead in this area. In the meantime, Network rail and train companies are working in this area, including through Shadow Great British Railways.
Asked by: Kieran Mullan (Conservative - Bexhill and Battle)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how she plans to manage the capacity of DfT OLR Holdings Limited to absorb additional rail franchises; and what steps she is taking to expand its capabilities.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The responsibility for the transfers from the private to the public sectors lies with DfT OLR Holdings Ltd (DOHL). DOHL is tasked with undertaking these transfers in an efficient and effective manner with no disruption to passengers and employees. The Board has a strong mix of skills, expertise and experience in the rail industry that covers safety, rail franchising, finance and management accounting, project change, project management and contracts. DOHL has managed four successful transfers so far and is scaling up to ensure the successful transfer of all train operating companies into public ownership.
The Department will continue to work with DOHL and ensure that it has sufficient capacity to take on train operating companies and manage effectively the train operating companies currently under its control as we work towards Great British Railways. DOHL is already well versed in building up specialist capacity quickly in response to a need to transfer operations to the public sector at pace. Significant work is already underway by DOHL to bring in additional capacity and expertise. We are meeting regularly with DOHL to obtain assurances that it is scaling up appropriately to meet the opportunities and challenges of public ownership and operation.
Asked by: Kieran Mullan (Conservative - Bexhill and Battle)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she plans to take to ensure that there is a smooth transition from private to public rail operators.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The responsibility for the transfers from the private to the public sectors lies with DfT OLR Holdings Ltd (DOHL). DOHL is tasked with undertaking these transfers in an efficient and effective manner with no disruption to passengers and employees. The Board has a strong mix of skills, expertise and experience in the rail industry that covers safety, rail franchising, finance and management accounting, project change, project management and contracts. DOHL has managed four successful transfers so far and is scaling up to ensure the successful transfer of all train operating companies into public ownership.
The Department will continue to work with DOHL and ensure that it has sufficient capacity to take on train operating companies and manage effectively the train operating companies currently under its control as we work towards Great British Railways. DOHL is already well versed in building up specialist capacity quickly in response to a need to transfer operations to the public sector at pace. Significant work is already underway by DOHL to bring in additional capacity and expertise. We are meeting regularly with DOHL to obtain assurances that it is scaling up appropriately to meet the opportunities and challenges of public ownership and operation.
Asked by: Kieran Mullan (Conservative - Bexhill and Battle)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she plans to take to help ensure that public railway operators achieve passenger growth.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
We are committed to delivering a unified and simplified rail system that focuses on improved services for passengers and better value for taxpayers, ending years of fragmentation and waste.
We will establish Great British Railways as the directing mind in charge of Britain’s railway infrastructure and services, responsible for ensuring both work together. We will also bring passenger services into public ownership, in the pursuit of a more efficient and passenger-focused rail system.
In the interim, while National Rail Contracts (NRCs) remain in place, we will set stretching performance targets for each operator through the annual business planning process. These targets will be specific to each operator, reflecting their individual circumstances. Where performance falls short, we will require operators to put in place robust improvement plans. The Secretary of State has already met a number of poorly performing train operators and their Network Rail counterparts, setting clear expectations for immediate improvement.
Asked by: Kieran Mullan (Conservative - Bexhill and Battle)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking to ensure that the costs associated with the establishment of Great British Railways remain within budget.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The King’s Speech set out that we will be introducing legislation to establish Great British Railways (GBR) in this Parliamentary session.
The Rail Sector Transformation Programme Board will hold to account those responsible for implementing reforms and will oversee the planned savings and track incurred costs. We are applying lessons from recent National Audit Office, Public Accounts Committee and Infrastructure and Projects Authority reports, including ensuring there is effective governance and clear accountabilities.