Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 6 March 2020 to Question 22006 on Thameslink Railway Line, if he will list the meetings (a) he, (b) his predecessors, (c) Ministers, (d) the predecessors of those Ministers and (e) his officials have had with (i) GTR and (ii) Network Rail to discuss the delivery of the Thameslink service on the Maidstone East line.

A large number of meetings took place in 2018 and 2019 about the delivery of Thameslink services to Maidstone East.

We know how important it is to introduce the long awaited regular services between Maidstone East and the City as soon as possible. My officials continue to work with the industry to resolve the issues which have so far prevented a regular service from being introduced and to provide passengers in Maidstone with a regular all-day service to the City at the earliest opportunity. We will endeavour to arrange a meeting between my Honourable Friend, other relevant MPs and senior representatives from GTR and Network Rail to update on the situation and the work that is ongoing to find a solution as soon as practically possible in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.