Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of introducing new competitive open-access train service contracts on the West Coat Mainline.

The Department sees an important role for open access, with improved connectivity and choice for passengers key parts of rail reform. The Department assesses any new open access application individually and responds based upon the merits of specific proposals; this is the case for applications to run services on the West Coast Mainline or any other part of the network. Access to the rail network is ultimately a matter for the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) in its role as independent regulator for the rail industry.