Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate she has made of the total capital value of rolling stock introduced on West Midlands routes since 2018; what proportion of that funding was supported by public funds, government-backed financing, or regional contributions; what assessment she has made of the potential financial implications for regions which have benefited from recent investment should those assets be reallocated under a nationalised model; and how rolling stock assets will be accounted for within the balance sheet and regional reporting structures of Great British Railways.

There has been no estimate made of the total capital value of rolling stock because all WMT trains are leased from rolling stock companies who own the rolling stock. WMT's rolling stock lease charges make up approximately 12% of its cost base. Overall WMT's costs are greater than its fares revenue with the difference being made up by taxpayer support of approximately £289m in 2024/25. There was no government backed finance for this new rolling stock, nor any regional contributions. No assessment of the regional financial implications of reallocating assets has been made because the Department for Transport (DfT), and the Department’s Rail Operator (DFTO) currently have no plans to reallocate rolling stock in use by West Midlands Trains. Organisational design work on Great British Railways is ongoing, with the accounting and reporting arrangements being a function of final design.