Asked by: Saqib Bhatti (Conservative - Meriden and Solihull East)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when her Department plans to respond to correspondence of 1 July 2025 from the hon. Member for Meriden and Solihull East on the Midlands Rail Hub, reference MC2025-14224.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Rail Minister is replying to the hon. member's letter and if he has not received a response already, he will do so in coming days.
Asked by: Saqib Bhatti (Conservative - Meriden and Solihull East)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much funding her Department plans to allocate to the Midlands Rail Hub, in the context of the Spending Review 2025.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Chancellor’s commitment to progress Midlands Rail Hub West in the 2025 Spending Review follows the release of £123 million last year to design the first phase, which could be delivered by the early 2030s.
Asked by: Saqib Bhatti (Conservative - Meriden and Solihull East)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions she has had with Chiltern Railways on increasing its capacity.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
My officials and I continue to work with Chiltern Railways to improve passenger experience. Chiltern periodically adjusts its timetable in response to passenger demand.
We are closely engaged with Chiltern’s fleet renewal programme. The option to procure additional trains to increase capacity is being investigated, whilst considering value for money.
Asked by: Saqib Bhatti (Conservative - Meriden and Solihull East)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the (a) frequency and (b) capacity of services between Birmingham and (i) Nottingham and (ii) Leicester.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The scope for increased frequency is limited by current infrastructure which is being considered as part of the proposed Midlands Rail Hub project. In terms of capacity, CrossCountry has recently declassified First Class accommodation on services from Birmingham to Cardiff, Nottingham and Stansted Airport to provide a number of additional seats for all ticket holders.
The Department has funded 12 cascaded Voyager trains for CrossCountry Inter-city routes to provide additional capacity for passengers, including on routes that overlap with Birmingham to Nottingham services, thereby spreading demand across more carriages. Three of these trains are already in service, the rest will start in May.
Asked by: Saqib Bhatti (Conservative - Meriden and Solihull East)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she has made an assessment of the potential impact of the delivery of the Midlands Rail Hub on economic growth.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Midlands Rail Hub would kickstart economic growth by introducing additional trains and improving the performance of the railways, and in March £123m was committed to design the first stage.
In December, the Chancellor launched the second stage of the Spending Review. This is a ‘zero-based’ review, to ensure every line of spending – including the transport infrastructure portfolio – delivers the Plan for Change and provides good value for taxpayers.
Asked by: Saqib Bhatti (Conservative - Meriden and Solihull East)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of changes in the level of the bus fare cap on bus usage in Meriden and Solihull East constituency.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
In the Budget on 30 October, the government confirmed it will invest over £150 million to introduce a new £3 cap on single bus fares in England outside London from 1 January until 31 December 2025. Under the plans of the previous administration, the current £2 cap on bus fares had been due to expire on 31 December 2024, and prior to the Budget, there was no further funding available to maintain the cap beyond this point.
The published interim evaluation of the £2 fare cap showed that patronage continued to recover following the COVID 19 pandemic and early evidence from the first two months of the scheme suggested the £2 fare cap may be playing a role in this recovery. The final evaluation of the £2 fare cap, including a further assessment of its impact on patronage will be published in due course.
Considering all its impacts, the fare cap is not financially sustainable for taxpayers and bus operators at £2. Capping fares at £3 will keep bus travel affordable while ensuring the cap is fair to taxpayers, helping millions of people access better opportunities, travel for less and protect vital bus routes, in Meriden and Solihull East, North Solihull and right across England.
Asked by: Saqib Bhatti (Conservative - Meriden and Solihull East)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the change in the bus fare cap on bus usage in North Solihull.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
In the Budget on 30 October, the government confirmed it will invest over £150 million to introduce a new £3 cap on single bus fares in England outside London from 1 January until 31 December 2025. Under the plans of the previous administration, the current £2 cap on bus fares had been due to expire on 31 December 2024, and prior to the Budget, there was no further funding available to maintain the cap beyond this point.
The published interim evaluation of the £2 fare cap showed that patronage continued to recover following the COVID 19 pandemic and early evidence from the first two months of the scheme suggested the £2 fare cap may be playing a role in this recovery. The final evaluation of the £2 fare cap, including a further assessment of its impact on patronage will be published in due course.
Considering all its impacts, the fare cap is not financially sustainable for taxpayers and bus operators at £2. Capping fares at £3 will keep bus travel affordable while ensuring the cap is fair to taxpayers, helping millions of people access better opportunities, travel for less and protect vital bus routes, in Meriden and Solihull East, North Solihull and right across England.
Asked by: Saqib Bhatti (Conservative - Meriden and Solihull East)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to her oral statement on Bus Funding of 18 November 2024, Official Report, column 50, whether the £50 million funding settlement for the West Midlands is in addition to previously announced funding.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
At the Budget on 30 October, we confirmed over £1 billion in funding in 25/26 to improve services, protect vital routes and keep fares down. On 17 November, we confirmed how we are distributing £955 million of that funding, with £712 million for local councils to deliver bus service improvement plans (BSIPs) and better meet local needs, and a further £243 million for bus operators, including funding a long-standing grant to drive down fares and drive up services. West Midlands Combined Authority will receive just under £50 million of this funding.
We are continuing the level of additional funding that was provided in the current financial year as part of Network North but have changed how this funding is allocated between councils to ensure we are treating the whole country fairly.
Prior to the Budget, there was no funding committed for bus services beyond the end of the current financial year. None of the funding we confirmed at the Budget had been given to councils or was in the Department for Transport’s budget before then. Future spending decisions will be considered as part of the forthcoming Spending Review.
Asked by: Saqib Bhatti (Conservative - Meriden and Solihull East)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she plans to continue the previous Government's commitment to provide a £230 million funding package for bus services in the Midlands.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
At the Budget on 30 October, we confirmed over £1 billion in funding in 25/26 to improve services, protect vital routes and keep fares down. On 17 November, we confirmed how we are distributing £955 million of that funding, with £712 million for local councils to deliver bus service improvement plans (BSIPs) and better meet local needs, and a further £243 million for bus operators, including funding a long-standing grant to drive down fares and drive up services. West Midlands Combined Authority will receive just under £50 million of this funding.
We are continuing the level of additional funding that was provided in the current financial year as part of Network North but have changed how this funding is allocated between councils to ensure we are treating the whole country fairly.
Prior to the Budget, there was no funding committed for bus services beyond the end of the current financial year. None of the funding we confirmed at the Budget had been given to councils or was in the Department for Transport’s budget before then. Future spending decisions will be considered as part of the forthcoming Spending Review.
Asked by: Saqib Bhatti (Conservative - Meriden and Solihull East)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she has made an assessment of the potential impact of changes to the level of the bus fare cap on bus usage.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
In the Budget on 30 October, the government confirmed it will invest over £150 million to introduce a new £3 cap on single bus fares in England outside London from 1 January until 31 December 2025. Under the plans of the previous administration, the current £2 cap on bus fares had been due to expire on 31 December 2024, and prior to the Budget, there was no further funding available to maintain the cap beyond this point.
The published interim evaluation of the £2 fare cap showed that patronage continued to recover following the COVID 19 pandemic and early evidence from the first two months of the scheme suggested the £2 fare cap may be playing a role in this recovery. The final evaluation of the £2 fare cap, including a further assessment of its impact on patronage will be published in due course.
Considering all its impacts, the fare cap is not financially sustainable for taxpayers and bus operators at £2. Capping fares at £3 will keep bus travel affordable while ensuring the cap is fair to taxpayers, helping millions of people access better opportunities, travel for less and protect vital bus routes, in Meriden and Solihull East, North Solihull and right across England.