Asked by: Martin Vickers (Conservative - Brigg and Immingham)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the potential implications for her polices of the Office of Rail and Road's statistics entitled Passenger Rail Usage, published on 20 March 2025, in the context of open access competition on the East Coast Mainline.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department recognises the wider benefits that can be provided by open access operators in the right circumstances, including increased competition which we have seen on the East Coast Main Line.
We welcome the publication of Passenger Rail Usage statistics published by the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) on 20 March 2025. We continually monitor statistics published by the ORR and take account of them in our decision making where appropriate.
Asked by: Charlie Dewhirst (Conservative - Bridlington and The Wolds)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will make an estimate of the costs to LNER of operating once-a-day train services to (a) Hull and (b) Bradford.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
London North Eastern Railway (LNER) already operates one service a day to Hull and two services a day, increasing to seven next month, to Bradford. The cost of these services are included within LNER's annual budget agreed by the Department.
Asked by: Martin Vickers (Conservative - Brigg and Immingham)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of open access operators on (a) rail passenger growth, (b) passenger choice and (c) fare levels on the East Coast Main Line.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Whilst we have not carried out such assessments, the Department considers the likely impacts of all open access applications on a case by case basis in line with the standard industry process. This includes assessing the financial, operational and performance impacts of individual applications.
Open access can provide benefits such as improved connectivity and choice for passengers but can also increase costs to taxpayers by abstracting revenue from government-contracted services. It can also create additional pressures on an already constrained network and negatively impact overall performance. That is why the Department makes assessments on a case-by-case basis and only provides support where benefits outweigh costs to taxpayers and impacts to the efficient operation of the network. Access to the rail network, however, is ultimately a decision for the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) in its role as independent regulator for the rail industry.
Asked by: David Smith (Labour - North Northumberland)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she has made an assessment of the potential merits of an increased power supply on the East Coast Mainline north of Berwick.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
In order to support the planned introduction of the route’s recast timetable in December 2025, Network Rail have conducted detailed route-wide power modelling. Network Rail will continue to undertake similar activity to help inform future plans for East Coast Main Line investment, including sections of the route north of Berwick.
Asked by: Blake Stephenson (Conservative - Mid Bedfordshire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of the (a) Digswell Viaduct and (b) Welwyn North Station on levels of capacity on the East Coast Main Line.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
An assessment of the impact of Digswell Viaduct and Welwyn North Station on capacity levels on the East Coast Main Line (ECML) was completed by Network Rail whilst developing the timetable that will be introduced on the ECML in December 2025. The Minister has approved this timetable for implementation, following an industry taskforce recommendation to do so, to enable the full benefits of a £4 billion investment in the route.
Asked by: Olly Glover (Liberal Democrat - Didcot and Wantage)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions her Department has had with Network Rail on the December 2025 East Coast Main Line timetable.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department has been in regular discussion with Network Rail since 2018 on the new East Coast Main Line (ECML) timetable including through industry planning forums. Last year, the Department commissioned an industry taskforce, including Network Rail, to oversee the readiness for this change and make a recommendation to implement. On their advice, I approved this timetable for implementation in December 2025 to enable the full benefits of a £4 billion investment in the route.
Asked by: Blake Stephenson (Conservative - Mid Bedfordshire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of the proposed (a) railway station and (b) new town at Tempsford on (i) journey times and (ii) capacity on Thameslink services.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Network Rail will consider the impact of any new station at Tempsford as part of business case development for any East Coast Main Line infrastructure investment at the southern end of the route, including journey time and capacity implications for Thameslink services.
Asked by: Ben Obese-Jecty (Conservative - Huntingdon)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment Network Rail has made of the need for a new East Coast Mainline station at Alconbury Weald.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department are aware of the long-standing local aspirations for an East Coast Main Line station at Alconbury Weald that would align with the new housing being developed in the area. We continue to work closely with the Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government to ensure an integrated approach to infrastructure planning.
Asked by: Ben Obese-Jecty (Conservative - Huntingdon)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will make an estimate of the potential impact of the new Universal Studios Theme Park in Bedfordshire on passenger numbers on the East Coast mainline.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Rail passenger impact calculations have been considered throughout and there are not expected to be significant impacts on the East Coast Mainline.
The Universal Studios Theme Park will be well-served by rail, with a new station at Wixams which is currently under construction on the Midland Main Line. Much of the park’s passenger demand will be in the opposite direction to normal commuter flows, thereby utilising existing capacity.
Asked by: Ben Obese-Jecty (Conservative - Huntingdon)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she has made an assessment of the potential impact of (a) the completion of (i) Alconbury Weald and (ii) other new housing in Huntingdon, (b) planned commercial development at Brampton Cross and (c) the expansion of RAF (A) Wyton and (B) Molesworth on passenger numbers on the East Coast Main line.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The upcoming East Coast Main Line timetable recast in December 2025 will create additional capacity through the introduction of additional peak services between Letchworth and London King’s Cross helping to alleviate pressure on Thameslink services and the peak Peterborough to King’s Cross service, which should ease passenger numbers at stations such as Hitchin.
Any significant increase in rail passenger demand, including from the developments mentioned, and subsequent requirement for potentially increased services would guide the Department’s future infrastructure planning.