Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference the Answer of 25 September 2019 to Question 290960, what assessment he has made of the merits for the public purse of giving a train operator with a seven-year rail franchise contract the authority to procure rail rolling stock which will be in use for 30 years.

The rolling stock market is a highly competitive environment that has delivered value for money benefits in both pricing and quality. Train operators procure rolling stock in partnership with the ultimate owners of the fleet who then continue to carry the long-term risk of competing their fleet into future franchises.