Asked by: Laurence Turner (Labour - Birmingham Northfield)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to item 5.4.4 of the minutes of HS2 Limited's Board meeting of 25 September 2024, what the (a) membership and (b) remit is of the Tripartite Cooperation Board.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Tripartite Cooperation Board (TCB) was established in 2014 following a memorandum of understanding signed between the DfT, NR and HS2 Ltd. The TCB brings together the senior executives from the Department, acting on behalf of the Secretary of State, as sponsor for the programme, HS2 Ltd as delivery agent for the programme and Network Rail as owner and operator of the existing network. Its purpose is to provide strategic advice at the request of the Programme Senior Responsible Owner, Alan Over, or the Programme Board to ensure the successful integration of HS2 onto the conventional network in such a way that the whole network is enhanced.
The members at this time are:
Alan Over, Major Rail Projects Group DG, DfT - Chair
Alex Hynes, Rail Services Group DG, DfT
Sir Andrew Haines, Chief Executive, Network Rail Chief Exec
Mark Wild, CEO, HS2 Ltd
Richard Goodman, Rail Reform and Strategy DG, DfT
Clare Dixon, DfT – Secretariat.
Asked by: Laurence Turner (Labour - Birmingham Northfield)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the (a) process and (b) timetable will be for recruiting a new Chief Executive of Network Rail.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Network Rail Board via its Nomination and Remuneration Committee is responsible for the Chief Executive selection process. In line with the Network Rail Framework Agreement, the Secretary of State for Transport has the right to approve the Board’s suggested candidate for Chief Executive.
The timetable for appointing a new Chief Executive will be confirmed once the Secretary of State has considered the recommendations of the Nomination and Remuneration Committee.
Asked by: Laurence Turner (Labour - Birmingham Northfield)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, which Ministers have been members of the HS2 Ministerial Taskforce since its creation; and on which dates each Minister (a) joined and (b) left the taskforce.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Secretary of State for Transport, Minister for Rail and Chief Secretary to the Treasury have been members of the Ministerial Task Force for HS2 since its first meeting on 30 April 2020. Ministers from the Cabinet Office and the Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government (and its predecessors) are no longer members, with the former last attending the meeting held on 15 December 2021 and the latter on 27 January 2022.
Asked by: Laurence Turner (Labour - Birmingham Northfield)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, on what dates the HS2 ministerial taskforce has met since 25 October 2022.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Ministerial Task Force for HS2 has met on the following dates since 25 October 2022:
1 November 2023
31 January 2024
22 October 2024
18 March 2025.
Asked by: Laurence Turner (Labour - Birmingham Northfield)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to item 24/132 of Network Rail's Board minutes of 05 December 2024, what the proposed (a) resourcing and (b) functions were of the Shadow Great British Railways Delivery Unit; and for what reason did the then Secretary of State decided not to establish it.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Shadow Great British Railways has been established to bring together the leaders responsible for the operational railway working with an independent Chair to start to realise the benefits of rail reform for passengers and freight ahead of the formal creation of Great British Railways.
To maximise collaboration, we are utilising cross-organisational project teams working together, with Shadow Great British Railways drawing on existing resources and capabilities from across the department, Network Rail and DfT Operator.
Asked by: Laurence Turner (Labour - Birmingham Northfield)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to her Department's press notice entitled Transport Secretary launches review of train company revenue protection practices, published on 13 November 2024, what progress the Office of Rail and Road has made on that review; and when she expects the conclusions of that review to be published.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Office of Rail and Road (ORR) will provide a final report to the Secretary of State no later than 15 May 2025. The review is currently in progress, and regular updates have been provided to the Department for Transport throughout. The ORR will determine when to publish the report.
Asked by: Laurence Turner (Labour - Birmingham Northfield)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate she has made of the cost to the public purse of the additional time taken to introduce the South Western Railway Arterio rolling stock fleet.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Arterio delays were initially caused by manufacturing and software issues, the responsibility of Alstom. There have been a number of more recent issues including driver training and platform infrastructure readiness, the responsibility of South Western Railway, which have impacted the ability to bring further units into passenger service as envisaged. My officials are actively engaged in ensuring all appropriate actions are being taken in the interests of passengers and taxpayers.
The Rail Minister has asked FirstGroup and MTR, the current owners of SWR, to meet with me urgently to explain what they are doing to address these issues as a priority.
Asked by: Laurence Turner (Labour - Birmingham Northfield)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of remodelling Manchester Oxford Road railway station on rail capacity.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Improving rail capacity and performance are key aims of the Government’s investment programme for Manchester, hence the prioritisation of improvements to Oxford Road station which is a key constraint on the network. As the Oxford Road project develops over the next couple of years, further timetable and station capacity studies will be made.
Asked by: Laurence Turner (Labour - Birmingham Northfield)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent progress she has made on the appointment of a new Chair of Network Rail.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department plans to launch an open and fair recruitment to appoint a new permanent Chair of Network Rail and has appointed an Executive Search Agency to run the recruitment.
Asked by: Laurence Turner (Labour - Birmingham Northfield)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department is taking to increase capacity on the West Coast Main Line north of Birmingham.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department recognises concerns about capacity on the West Coast Main Line north of Birmingham and are considering advice before setting out detailed plans in due course. The Department is evaluating possible interventions to improve capacity north of Birmingham, such as changes to timetabling and service patterns, as well as incremental improvements to infrastructure and rolling stock that could help to alleviate capacity shortfalls.