Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions he has had with rail operators on their planned timetable changes following the reduction of services in response to covid-19 guidance.

In response to Covid-19 guidance, the Department asked rail operators to reduce the numbers of services they run to reflect lower passenger demand, deliver better value for taxpayers, and to ensure that services remain reliable.

The Department continues to work closely with operators and Network Rail to ensure that services are appropriate to passenger demand whilst responding to the challenges of Covid-19 and delivering value for the tax payer. From 12 April, operators have increased provision to around 75% of pre-pandemic service levels and targeted areas of potentially high demand.