Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether her Department has made a recent assessment of the adequacy of pay levels for staff working across the railway network.

According to data from the Office for National Statistics, in 2021 the median gross salary of all rail workers was £44,000. This is around 70% above the national median of £26,000.

A report, published on 6 October 2022 by the Office of Rail and Road (ORR), benchmarked rail employment cost data for both Network Rail and for the first time Train Operating Companies with comparative roles. The report found aggregate industry level pay was broadly in line with (but towards the upper end of) that for comparable roles employed elsewhere in the UK economy.

The report can be found here: Review of rail industry employment costs (orr.gov.uk)