Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Birt on 7 April (HL6027), what assessment they have made of how (1) the incidence of train cancellations, and (2) the reasons for train cancellations, compare with the operation of rail services in other G7 countries.

No assessment has been made on how the incidence of train cancellations and the reasons for train cancellations compare with the operation of rail services in other G7 countries.

The Independent Regulators’ Group Rail (IRG-Rail), publishes an annual Market Monitoring Report which includes European comparisons on various aspects such as infrastructure characteristics, punctuality, and traffic data for both freight and passenger services. This helps to benchmark performance, identify trends, and highlight differences and similarities among the participating countries. However, this report does not cover international comparisons of cancellations.

The Government is committed to reforming the railways, including establishing Great British Railways. This will end years of fragmentation by bringing together track and train to deliver for passengers with more reliable, better-quality services and simpler ticketing and fares.