Asked by: Rosena Allin-Khan (Labour - Tooting)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions his Department has had with representatives of Southern Rail on the effect of the May 2018 timetable changes on commuters travelling across south west London.
Answered by Lord Johnson of Marylebone
The new timetable across Southern commenced on Sunday 20 May and there have been wholly unsatisfactory levels of disruption on those rail services since then. A combination of delayed Network Rail infrastructure works and reduced time to plan a modified timetable meant that the new timetable was finalised much too late to permit adequate logistical planning for the timetable changes. I am determined both that the problems are dealt with as quickly as possible, and that this is not repeated in the future.
We have been in regular contact with the leadership of Network Rail and GTR since the new timetable was introduced, and I and the Secretary of State continue to monitor the situation closely. We are speaking to those involved on a daily basis and we have insisted that both organisations put whatever resource they need to into resolving the situation, and in making sure that there is proper leadership of the recovery effort.
Once these problems are resolved, we will have a much better service for passengers. That is small comfort at the moment when things are not working as they should, but once we are through this difficult period we will have a better railway, with more frequent and better connected journeys for passengers across the Southern Metro routes, including the Wimbledon loop and the West London line.
Asked by: Rosena Allin-Khan (Labour - Tooting)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the timescale is for rolling out the 26-30 Railcard scheme throughout the UK.
Answered by Lord Johnson of Marylebone
The trial of 10,000 26-30 railcards is an industry-led initiative to gather evidence and to inform discussions between Government and industry about roll-out of the railcard. The usage of these railcards throughout their validity will inform the evaluation of the trial and inform decisions on a wider rollout.
Asked by: Rosena Allin-Khan (Labour - Tooting)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to increase capacity on popular train routes between London and (a) Chester, (b) Greater Manchester and (c) major cities in the North of England.
Answered by Paul Maynard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
We are committed to investing in infrastructure and we have been and continue to work on increasing rail capacity. On the West Coast Main Line, the conversion of 21 first class carriages to standard class has added more than 5,000 standard class seats a day, and the West Coast Partnership competition presents an opportunity to further increase capacity on the route. Upgrades to the Midland Main Line will enable increased passenger capacity and reduced journey times between Sheffield and London; there will be almost 50% more seats into London St Pancras in the peak compared to today. Work on the East Coast Main Line will see an 84% increase in seating on services to and from London, with increased service frequency providing additional capacity to Leeds and Newcastle, and new direct services to Middlesbrough and Harrogate.
The Government is committed to deliver High Speed Two (HS2). HS2 services will connect London and cities in the North of England including Manchester, Leeds, Liverpool, Crewe, Sheffield, York and Newcastle. Once completed in 2033, it will more than double the number of seats available out of Euston Station in the evening rush hour, relieving the pressure on commuters. By shifting long-distance services onto the new railway HS2 will also release space on existing routes and provide options for new or additional local, cross-country, commuter and freight services in many areas. The capacity and connectivity benefits associated with the full HS2 network are set out in the Phase Two strategic case, published in July 2017.https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/629393/high-speed-two-phase-two-strategic-case.pdf
Asked by: Rosena Allin-Khan (Labour - Tooting)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make an assessment of the potential effect of the Dutch Reach method of opening car doors on the safety of cyclists.
Answered by Andrew Jones
The Department is aware of the Dutch Reach method of opening car doors. Leaving a vehicle and checking for oncoming cyclists, pedestrians and other traffic before opening the door is however already part of the DVSA's National Standards for driving. We therefore have no plans to mandate which arm a driver uses to open the door.