Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 14 December 2023 to Question 5623 on Elizabeth Line and Southeastern: Repairs and Maintenance, what progress the cross Whitehall task force has made on (a) mitigations against redundancies and (b) bringing forward (i) existing refurbishment and (ii) new contracts for (A) Southeastern Rail and (B) Elizabeth Line trains.

Ministers and officials have held intensive discussions over several months with rolling stock manufacturers to explore options to help them find viable and sustainable long-term solutions around their rolling stock capabilities. In January of this year, I published a pipeline of opportunities which I would expect all manufacturers to bid for; however, there is no guarantee on who will win these.

In March 2024, Alstom was successfully awarded a contract for the refurbishment of the CrossCountry Voyager fleet that will support UK suppliers and skilled jobs across the country.

Officials in collaboration with the operator continue to work at pace on publishing the Invitation to Negotiate for the Southeastern procurement.

The Secretary of State has met with Alstom to discuss a potential way forward regarding the Elizabeth Line fleet and a statement will be made at the appropriate time.