Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make an assessment of the effect of a reduction in subsidies to the rail industry on the frequency of services provided.

The amount of Government support to the rail industry and what the rail industry must do for the travelling public in return for that money is regularly reviewed at Spending Reviews (for passenger services) and regular Periodic Reviews (which set rail infrastructure funding for a set 5-year period, with the next one due in 2023). While frequency is one factor in train service provision, other factors, such as reliability and on-board capacity are equally important, and are balanced to provide an appropriate total service for passengers. Factors such as improved working practices in the industry and total passenger revenue, in addition to Government support, all impact the total funding to the industry. All these factors will be balanced when considering rail services, of which frequency is one aspect.

It should be noted that in response to the COVID-19 pandemic the Department put in place emergency measures to support all operators holding franchise contracts with the UK government. The total costs of these measures in 2020/21 is estimated to be around £8.5 billion in Government support.