Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment she has made of trends in the level of passenger satisfaction with East Midlands Railway services operating through Leicester.

The Department monitors passenger satisfaction across the rail network through a range of measures, including independent passenger research, operator surveys, complaints data and other customer feedback. The Department recognises that recent reductions in East Midlands Railway (EMR) intercity services serving Leicester, together with poorer reliability, are likely to have adversely affected passengers' satisfaction with their journeys.

These issues have been driven in part by delays to the introduction of EMR's new Aurora trains, which have reduced resilience during the transition period and led EMR to introduce a temporary reduced intercity timetable from 20 July 2026 to minimise short-notice cancellations and improve reliability. The Department, through DfT Operator Ltd. (DFTO), is working closely with EMR and Network Rail to improve performance and passenger experience. From 31 August 2026, EMR will increase its intercity services from 87 per cent to 92 per cent of the planned timetable, restoring a number of previously withdrawn services and representing a significant step towards returning to normal operation.