Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what comparative assessment he has made of the merits of (a) directly procuring rolling stock and (b) leasing trains from rolling stock companies.

The Secretary of State has not currently made assessments of procuring or leasing rolling stock directly from manufacturers or rolling stock owning companies. The UK rolling stock market has been a vibrant one and passengers are benefiting from private investment in new trains across the country.