Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 14 November to Question 111721, whether the bi-mode trains commissioned for the services referred to (a) will or (b) will not be more expensive to operate than electric trains.

Government has been clear that bi-modes are likely to be more expensive to operate than electric only trains but that is not the whole picture.

Bi-modes allow us reduce the up-front capital costs of infrastructure compared to electric trains as overhead wires and gantries do not need to be installed along entire routes. The trains provide greater flexibility for operators when developing their timetables and increase service resilience during disruption. These factors are part of what the government has considered in delivering both genuine benefits to passengers and value to the taxpayer.