Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what her planned timetable is for the (a) recruitment of additional drivers for (i) Thameslink and (ii) Great Northern Railway this year and (b) completion of training of those drivers and deployment onto active services.

The Department is supporting Greater Thameslink Railway to deliver its continuing driver recruitment programme across Thameslink and Great Northern.

This year, driver numbers are planned to increase by around 7 per cent (approximately 75 full-time equivalent drivers), with recruitment taking place on a rolling basis throughout the year. There are currently over 120 trainee drivers in training, and new trainees are recruited as existing trainees qualify. Training and deployment are phased, with drivers completing training and entering service throughout the year as they qualify, supporting additional Great Northern services later this year and improving reliability.