Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 2 June 2021 to Questions 7247 and 7248 on South Western Main Line: Rolling Stock, for what reasons the class 442 fleet were reintroduced and refurbished when they were not DDA compliant for people with reduced mobility.

The Class 442s were originally conceived to be the best solution in increasing capacity at the beginning of the South Western Railway (SWR) franchise. The units where exempt from the rules on Persons with Reduced Mobility (PRM) compliance until August 2024. They were removed from service following COVID-19 in March 2020 and they have not been reintroduced since. SWR decided to withdraw the fleet and cease the programme of modifications that were underway to avoid incurring further costs.