Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of the transition of passenger rail services into public ownership on rail provision in Wiltshire.

The Government is committed to delivering an improved railway for all users across Britain, including those in Wiltshire.

We are taking steps to ensure a smooth transition for staff and passengers as services transfer into public ownership. There will be no immediate changes to the running of services at the point of transfer, however, under public ownership, services will be run in the interests of passengers, not shareholders. One by one we are returning the railways to the service of passengers. It will take time, but we’re setting up a railway people can be proud of.

Later this session we will be introducing legislation to enable the establishment of Great British Railways (GBR) as the new directing mind for the railways. Unifying track and train under a single public body will deliver better services for passengers and freight customers and better value for money for taxpayers.