Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions his Department has had with Network Rail on the sale of railway arches across the UK and the effect of such sales on local businesses.

The Department has regular discussions with Network Rail about the proposed sale of its commercial business.

When the sale was announced last year, Network Rail wrote to all affected tenants to reassure them that after the sale that all lease arrangements and protections will be unchanged.

Network Rail’s sale of its commercial estate business will enable them to focus more effectively on the services people want to see from their railways by improving safety, reliability and capacity.