Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answers of 13 July 2018, 20 July 2018 and 10 September 2018 to Questions 161175, 164445 and 167289, if he will make an assessment of the accuracy of the finding of the Northern Powerhouse Partnership's report, Devolving our railways: learning the lessons from a summer of northern rail chaos, published on 30 July 2018 that the disruption caused by the Northern Rail timetable changes has cost the economy of the north of England £38 million.

In line with answers provided to previous similar questions, the government’s focus has been on ensuring that the industry returns to a stable timetable as quickly as possible and that passengers in the most affected areas are compensated for the disruption caused. This approach is delivering for passengers, with the performance of both Govia Thameslink Railway and Northern having improved significantly in recent weeks, andcompensation schemes are now in place for all of the affected operators ensuring the disruption that passengers have experienced is financially recognised. Improving the performance of our railways in the North remains the focus, reflected in the recent appointment of Richard George as the single person to lead rail performance improvement in the North.