Asked by: Al Pinkerton (Liberal Democrat - Surrey Heath)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of rail services that have been returned to state ownership on the level of service in Surrey Heath constituency.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Under public ownership, South Western Railway will be undertaking a complete redesign of its timetable, which will include reviewing services in Surrey Heath constituency. In the assessment of options, adjusting service levels to meet passenger demand will be considered, alongside other factors such as reducing the net subsidy requirement of the railway and improving operational performance.
Asked by: Lord Patten (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the amount spend on railway flood defences and embankment maintenance by (1) South Western Railway, and (2) Great Western Railway, in each of the past five years.
Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
The Government has not carried out any assessments as described in the Noble Lord’s questions. Train Operating Companies, including South Western Railway and Great Western Railway, are not responsible for managing or maintaining railway infrastructure and have not incurred any expenditure on flood defences or embankment maintenance.
Network Rail has robust plans in place to improve and maintain infrastructure. The Wales & Western Region will see a £2.6 billion asset renewals programme and £1.6 billion invested to maintain existing assets and the Southern Region will see an investment of over £3 billion in infrastructure during the current Control Period to 2029.
It is also addressing severe weather events through comprehensive weather resilience and climate change adaptation plans, focusing on safeguarding assets, embedding resilience into daily operations, and adapting to climate change impacts across both the Wales & Western and Southern routes.
An example is the extensive works being implemented at Chipping Sodbury on the Great Western Main Line to mitigate the impact of flooding from both surface water and groundwater. The work already completed has improved the level of resilience from closure due to rainfall. Network Rail is funding further work at this location during the current Control Period to 2029.
Asked by: Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat - Newton Abbot)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if her Department will meet with Network Rail to discuss funding for the final phase of the South West Resilience Programme in the context of storm Ingrid.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Departmental officials meet with Network Rail regularly to discuss and review investment proposals across the Western route. While the cliffs at Teignmouth were not affected by storms Ingrid and Chandra, officials are monitoring progress with the drainage and ground investigations work we have funded so far on Phase 5 of the South West Rail Resilience Programme, which will inform options for a longer-term solution. The investment made to date in storm resilience around Dawlish after storms in 2014 has significantly improved resilience in this area and held up well despite the frequency of recent storms and their intensity. Nevertheless, Network Rail will continue to plan for similar events and pursue actions to keep the railway running reliably.
Asked by: Lord Patten (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the resilience against flooding and landslips on embankments along the railway lines of (1) South Western Railway, and (2) Great Western Railway.
Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
The Government has not carried out any assessments as described in the Noble Lord’s questions. Train Operating Companies, including South Western Railway and Great Western Railway, are not responsible for managing or maintaining railway infrastructure and have not incurred any expenditure on flood defences or embankment maintenance.
Network Rail has robust plans in place to improve and maintain infrastructure. The Wales & Western Region will see a £2.6 billion asset renewals programme and £1.6 billion invested to maintain existing assets and the Southern Region will see an investment of over £3 billion in infrastructure during the current Control Period to 2029.
It is also addressing severe weather events through comprehensive weather resilience and climate change adaptation plans, focusing on safeguarding assets, embedding resilience into daily operations, and adapting to climate change impacts across both the Wales & Western and Southern routes.
An example is the extensive works being implemented at Chipping Sodbury on the Great Western Main Line to mitigate the impact of flooding from both surface water and groundwater. The work already completed has improved the level of resilience from closure due to rainfall. Network Rail is funding further work at this location during the current Control Period to 2029.
Asked by: Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat - Newton Abbot)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department is taking to integrate climate change projections and increased storm frequency into long-term planning for transport and coastal defence infrastructure in Newton Abbot constituency.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department for Transport has plans in place and underway with industry to adapt to and mitigate the risks of extreme weather caused by climate change. In 2024, the rail industry agreed a set of climate scenarios. This will harmonise data and methods and will help the industry develop consistent approaches to assess physical risks.
Network Rail is undertaking a programme of adaptation pathways across the network, including in Wales and Western region, which covers the Newton Abbot constituency, to develop a long-term strategic adaptation plan and identify priority areas for further adaptation investment. This approach will help identify those parts of the network which may require transformational change to enable safe and reliable services to continue in the future. Network Rail has also produced regional weather resilience and climate change adaptation plans (WRCCA). These explain Network Rail’s understanding of how weather and climate change can affect infrastructure at a more targeted, local level. This work is already informing discussions for future funding periods.
In addition, the Department has requested its train operating companies, including Great Western Railway, South Western Railway and CrossCountry, to produce their own WRCCA strategies due at the end of January 2026 and these will add further detail to our understanding of regional risks.
Asked by: Alex Mayer (Labour - Dunstable and Leighton Buzzard)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, on what date her department granted consent for the upgrade programme of South Western Railway’s Salisbury depot based 30 Class 158/159 trains; and what is her assessment of the (a) cost, (b) value for money of this overhaul work and (c) the life expiry date of these trains.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
South Western Railway (SWR) are currently undertaking scheduled heavy maintenance of their Class 158/159 fleet. This essential programme involves the full strip down, inspection and repair of the units, alongside enhancements to the onboard environment including refreshed interiors, new seat covers, repainting and the installation of at seat power which will improve the customer experience.
SWR have not submitted any specific request for Departmental consent for this upgrade programme as they are responsible for planning and delivering their own maintenance and any associated upgrade activity within their existing budgets.
SWR’s transfer into public ownership on 25 May 2025 marked an important step in our work to rebuild a railway that consistently delivers for passengers. As a publicly owned operator, SWR is now subject to rigorous and bespoke performance standards, and their dedicated teams work hard to ensure that maintenance and customer focused improvements support safe operation, improved reliability and better outcomes for the communities they serve.
The Department typically assumes that rolling stock has an operational life of around 35–40 years, although the precise lifespan is determined by the rolling stock market based on condition, investment and operational needs.
Asked by: Alex Mayer (Labour - Dunstable and Leighton Buzzard)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when she plans to determine the geographical make up of GBR's Business Units will be determined.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Business Units will be the powerhouse of Great British Railways (GBR), bringing together today’s infrastructure management functions provided by Network Rail, and passenger operations currently led by train operating companies, into a single local team with an accountable leader.
Integrated railway pilots are introducing a single accountable leader for track and train, supported by an integrated executive team within existing frameworks. This is already in place for South-Eastern and South-Western Railway with plans underway for Anglia. These pilots will inform GBR's future Business Unit model.
The detailed design process is underway, including determining the geographic make-up of GBR’s Business Units.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much of the funding for the infrastructure upgrade programme on South Western Railway has been spent to date.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The most recent infrastructure upgrade programme for South Western Railway was completed in 2020. The Government keeps future investment requirements under review.
Asked by: Helen Maguire (Liberal Democrat - Epsom and Ewell)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking to help ensure the provision of safe transport for women and girls in rural areas in Surrey.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The Department for Transport is committed to ensuring everyone, including women and girls, is safe on the transport network, including those in rural areas. As part of the Government’s aims to reduce Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) by half over the next decade, the Department has an ambitious, evidence-based programme of work to help tackle VAWG on transport. This includes measures in the Bus Services Act 2025 such as training on how to recognise and respond to incidents of criminal and anti-social behaviour (ASB).
The Department is working across government and with partners, including the British Transport Police (BTP), the transport industry and local authorities to ensure that everyone feels safe and is safe when travelling.
BTP work closely with Govia Thameslink Railway and South Western Railway to ensure a joined-up approach to safe transport for women and girls in Surrey. They work with Train Operating Companies (TOCs) to promote their discreet 61016 text service, encouraging anyone feeling unsafe or vulnerable on the rail network to contact them directly and discreetly. Every report received builds a bigger picture which informs patrols and policing presence, and every day across the network, officers are present in uniform and plain clothes, looking out for offenders and acting as a visible deterrent.
BTP also works with community organisations, private sector organisations and industry partners to raise awareness of VAWG, encourage reporting and receive feedback to improve our response.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many vehicles on the West of England line have been modernised by South Western Railway since December 2025.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The 15X Fleet refurbishment programme started in December 2025 with refurbishment works on the first unit commencing on 29 December.