Asked by: Peter Kyle (Labour - Hove)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 6 June 2018 to Question 148967, when it became apparent that Govia Thameslink Railway was unable to deliver all planned services according to the May 2018 timetable changes.
Answered by Lord Johnson of Marylebone
Govia Thameslink Railway informed Ministers after they had implemented final roster changes that they were unable to deliver all their planned services.
Asked by: Peter Kyle (Labour - Hove)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will take into account the Passenger Rail Usage statistics, published by the Office of Road and Rail on 14 June 2018 on season ticket usage, in the development of policy on part-time rail season tickets.
Answered by Lord Johnson of Marylebone
We continue to look into ways to improve the offer for passengers who work part time. The Secretary of State now includes a requirement for bidders to develop flexible ticketing offers for those who work or commute part-time in all franchise competitions. In developing such offers train operators should make use of both official statistics and their own commercial data.
Asked by: Peter Kyle (Labour - Hove)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the Passenger Rail Usage statistics, published by the Office for Road and Rail on 14 June 2018 that reports a 9.2 per cent fall in season ticket journeys; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Lord Johnson of Marylebone
The Department reviews the suitability of its policies on an ongoing basis and takes into account new evidence when available. Whilst there has been a fall in journeys made using season tickets, there has been a 4% increase in journeys made using other ticket types. The recent decline in journeys made using season tickets has been observed over a short period following a longer-term trend of sustained growth, and the Department will continue to keep this under review.
Passengers should have more choice in their ticket options and the Secretary of State includes a requirement for bidders to develop flexible ticketing offers for those who work or commute part-time in all franchise competitions. The Department is also undertaking new research to explore the number of journeys made per season ticket to understand further the impact of changing travel behaviour.
Asked by: Peter Kyle (Labour - Hove)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions he has had with (a) Network Rail and (b) Govia Thameslink Railway on the scheduled work programme on the Brighton Mainline in October 2018 and February 2019.
Answered by Lord Johnson of Marylebone
As part of the Government’s £300m programme of works to improve asset performance on the Brighton Mainline and Thameslink routes, Ministers and the Department’s officials have had regular discussions with Network Rail and Govia Thameslink Railway on the October 2018 and February 2019 works. The works in October 2018 and February 2019 will need to go through a number of industry readiness assessments and Ministers and officials have and will continue to challenge the rail industry to ensure the plans, and alternate travel arrangements for passengers, are appropriately robust.
Asked by: Peter Kyle (Labour - Hove)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 1 June 2018 to Written Question 148967, on how many of the 11 occasions that he met Network Rail representatives was the implementation of the May 2018 timetable changes specifically discussed.
Answered by Lord Johnson of Marylebone
I would like to refer the Hon gentleman to my answer I gave on 06 June.
Asked by: Peter Kyle (Labour - Hove)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many times he (a) met and (b) had other contacts with representatives from Govia Thameslink Railway to discuss the implementation of the Rail Plan 2020 timetable changes in each of the last six months.
Answered by Lord Johnson of Marylebone
My Rt Hon Friend the Secretary of State has regular meetings with representatives from the rail industry where a range of topics are discussed. As he made clear in his recent statement to the House, as few as three weeks before the timetable was to be implemented Govia Thameslink Railway assured the Secretary of State they were ready to implement the timetable changes.
Asked by: Peter Kyle (Labour - Hove)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the capability of Network Rail and Govia Thameslink Railway to complete the scheduled work programme on the Brighton Mainline in October 2018 and February 2019.
Answered by Lord Johnson of Marylebone
The Government is committed to a £300m programme of works to improve asset performance on the Brighton Mainline and Thameslink routes, following my announcement in January 2017. Both Network Rail and Govia Thameslink Railway plan for significant improvement works on the Brighton Mainline in October 2018 and February 2019. The works in October 2018 and February 2019 will need to go through a number of industry readiness assessments and I and the Department have and will continue to challenge the rail industry to ensure the plans, and alternate travel arrangements for passengers, are appropriately robust.
Asked by: Peter Kyle (Labour - Hove)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions he has had with (a) Network Rail and (b) Govia Thameslink Railway on arrangements for replacement transport during the period of the scheduled work programme on the Brighton Mainline in October 2018 and February 2019; and what assessment he has made of the adequacy of those arrangements.
Answered by Lord Johnson of Marylebone
The Department continues to work closely with Network Rail and GTR to ensure that bus replacement services and other arrangements will be in place to minimise disruption to passengers during both blockades. That work is ongoing and kept under review.
Asked by: Peter Kyle (Labour - Hove)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many times he (a) met and (b) had other contacts with representatives from Network Rail to discuss the implementation of the Rail Plan 2020 timetable changes in each of the last six months.
Answered by Lord Johnson of Marylebone
The Department for Transport has been working with Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) and Network Rail over the last few years to develop the new timetable specification. It was designed to maximise the benefits of the government’s £7bn Thameslink Programme investment, including increasing capacity to bring many more passengers in to London during the morning peak. In agreement with industry partners and supported by the Industry Readiness Board, my Rt Hon Friend approved minor changes to allow for a smooth transition.
However, it became clear at the 11th hour that GTR were unable to deliver all planned services. We are in regular discussions with Network Rail and GTR. We have reiterated that the disruption suffered by passengers is wholly unacceptable, and the priority is to give passengers greater certainty over which services will run.
Over the last six months, my Rt Hon Friend has met with Network Rail representatives on 11 separate occasions. In these meetings he has discussed a multitude of different topics including implementation of the May 2018 timetable changes.
Asked by: Peter Kyle (Labour - Hove)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the length of time taken was for his Department to assess the adequacy of the proposed changes to the Rail Plan 2020 timetable.
Answered by Lord Johnson of Marylebone
The Department for Transport has been working with Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) and Network Rail over the last few years to develop the new timetable specification. It was designed to maximise the benefits of the government’s £7bn Thameslink Programme investment, including increasing capacity to bring many more passengers in to London during the morning peak. In agreement with industry partners and supported by the Industry Readiness Board, my Rt Hon Friend approved minor changes to allow for a smooth transition.
However, it became clear at the 11th hour that GTR were unable to deliver all planned services. We are in regular discussions with Network Rail and GTR. We have reiterated that the disruption suffered by passengers is wholly unacceptable, and the priority is to give passengers greater certainty over which services will run.
Over the last six months, my Rt Hon Friend has met with Network Rail representatives on 11 separate occasions. In these meetings he has discussed a multitude of different topics including implementation of the May 2018 timetable changes.