Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they are having with the operator to address the shortage of accommodation on railway services between the Thames Valley and the North, including by making some more of the rolling stock currently in store available.

Officials meet regularly with train operators. Under the new National Rail Contract that commenced in October, additional carriages are due to be added to the CrossCountry train fleet in the next few years, as they become available in the rolling stock market. It is for operators to determine how best to match capacity to expected passenger demand on individual services making the most efficient use of the train fleet available to them.