Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans his Department has to introduce driver-only operation on trains on the Cumbrian Coast railway line in the new Northern franchise.

The Department for Transport is currently conducting a joint public consultation with Rail North on a range of options for the future Nothern and TransPennine Express franchises; no decisions have yet been taken. The consultation concludes 18 August 2014 and can be found at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/future-of-northern-and-transpennine-express-rail-franchises