Asked by: Lord Berkeley (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether in their regular updates to Domestic transport use by mode: Great Britain, since 1 March 2020 they will provide separate data for the rail sector on passenger and freight traffic to match the data on cars, light commercial vehicles, HGVs, London buses, and buses outside London, provided for the road sector.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
This publication table makes public the high-level metrics used by the Cabinet Office for monitoring COVID-19 response which focus on the behaviour of the travelling public. These metrics do not include rail freight. Road goods vehicles are included in these metrics as they contribute to total road transport demand, and thereby impact upon car users’ experience of the transport network.
Asked by: Lord Vinson (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the (1) quality, and (2) safety, of the suspension of the Azuma trains being used on the East Coast mainline; whether (a) they, or (b) LNER, have received reports of increased customer discomfort since the Azuma trains were introduced; and in light of any such assessment or reports, what plans they have to support the rectification of any operational problems identified with these trains.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
Azuma trains were designed to modern standards for comfort and safety. Before the trains were delivered to London North Eastern Railway (LNER), a number of commissioning tests were carried out ensuring the quality of the ride was of an acceptable standard and safety specifications had been met. The comfort and safety of the trains in service and the rectification of any operational problems is the responsibility of the train operator, LNER, working in partnership with the train supplier and, if required, the Office of Rail and Road.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - North West Durham)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make an estimate of the number of (a) miles of track and (b) stations for (i) railways and (ii) metro, tram or tube in each (A) parliamentary constituency and (B) local authority area in (1) 1950 and (2) 2020.
Answered by Chris Heaton-Harris - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
The Office for Rail and Road (ORR) publish National Statistics on track length covering recent years. In 2020, total mainline track length was 19,398 miles (31,218 kilometres). The Department nor ORR publish statistics relating to track length at parliamentary constituency or local authority level. Nor does the ORR publish data for 1950.
ORR publish National Statistics on railway stations, but the data only goes back to 1985. In 2020, there were 2,567 total railway stations in Great Britain. Table 1410 provides a list of stations by parliamentary constituency and local authority in 2020:
https://dataportal.orr.gov.uk/statistics/usage/estimates-of-station-usage
The Department for Transport publish National Statistics on track length and stations by system for the tram and tube. In 2020/21, there were 228 miles of tram track and 264 miles of underground track in Great Britain. There were 426 tram stations and 285 underground stations. This data is published in Tables LRT0204 and LRT0201 respectively:
The Department does not hold this data for 1950.
Asked by: Wera Hobhouse (Liberal Democrat - Bath)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will provide additional sector specific support to workers in the transport sector to tackle the effect of the covid-19 outbreak on that sector.
Answered by Rachel Maclean
The Aviation Skills Retention Platform is being delivered in partnership with the Talent Retention Solutions. The Platform was launched on 10 February 2021 for industry registrations, followed by individual registrations in early March. It allows former and current aviation sector workers who are currently out of work to register their skills, so they can be notified of relevant job opportunities, advice and upskilling opportunities. This platform is a tool for the future, which will aim to retain vital skills within the industry and help address the skills gap that existed prior to the pandemic. To date the Department provided £387,377 funding for this programme.
During the pandemic, the Government has provided over £1.5bn in emergency support for bus and light rail operators. This has provided funding to ensure that vehicles and staff were provided with the correct PPE and ensured that operators did not make significant reductions in staff numbers.
Asked by: Lord Blencathra (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, since March 2020, how much money they have given for transport-related purposes to (1) Transport for London, and (2) all other councils and transport authorities in England; and what is the per capita amount of expenditure for those living (a) in the Greater London area, and (b) in the rest of England.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
In the financial year 2020/21 my Department provided £3.2bn to Transport for London and £4.2bn to other councils and local authorities for transport-related purposes. These figures will be confirmed when the Department’s annual report and accounts are published in September.
To provide further context, in the financial year 2020/21 over £13bn was spent on transport related purposes in response to Covid-19 or as part of wider recovery measures. TfL received £2.457bn funding and financing (included with the £3.2bn figure above) to ensure the continued operation of their transport services, at a time when passenger demand was significantly reduced.
Outside of London we allocated £8.5bn to rail services, £1.257bn for bus operators, and £142m for light rail. This ensured that key modes of public transport continued to operate. Details of the measures and costs associated have been published in the National Audit Office online tracker of the Government's interventions on Covid-19. This is available online on the NAO’s website.
Per Capita analysis of our expenditure will be available in the Country and Regional Analysis published later this year, which is available at online at Gov.uk.
Asked by: Baroness Randerson (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government when they intend to publish the findings of the Williams Rail Review.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
The government is committed to bringing forward vital sector-wide reforms and commissioned Keith Williams to carry out the first root and branch review of the rail industry in a generation. The Williams Rail Review was in its final stages at the outbreak of Covid-19 and was then extended to ensure that its conclusions were appropriate in the light of the ongoing pandemic. The reforms are as important as ever and the government intends on publishing a White Paper with details of its plans for rail reform soon.
Asked by: Sharon Hodgson (Labour - Washington and Sunderland West)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the oral contribution of the Minister of State of 17 March 2021, Official Report, column 446, what transport infrastructure has been considered for (a) Tyne and Wear and (b) Durham.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
As I stated in my oral contribution on 17 March 2021, Official Report, column 446, delivering high-quality, world-class transport infrastructure in northern England and following through on our commitments to level up remain a top priority for the Government. This is certainly the case for Tyne and Wear and Durham.
Throughout the Covid-19 pandemic, the Department has endeavoured to provide the necessary support to local transport operators in Tyne and Wear and Durham, with the Bus Services Operators Grant paid at pre-Covid levels to maintain essential services. Furthermore, Tyne and Wear Metro have received over £33 million from light rail support packages throughout the pandemic.
In keeping with our ambition to build back better, Nexus will receive £20 million of capital funding to deliver infrastructure renewals for the Metro in 2021/22. Furthermore, early last year the Department announced the £500 million Restoring Your Railway fund, to start reopening lines and stations, reconnecting people and communities. We received a bid for development funding for the Leamside Line in round 3 of the Ideas Fund, which closed on 5 March 2021. The Department is currently assessing the bid and we expect to announce outcomes in the summer.
Further to the above, Transport North East was the recipient of £198.4 million in tranche 2 of the Transforming City Fund, which will support transformational projects like Metroflow and the regeneration of Durham Bus Station. As well as this, £13.5 million from the Active Travel Fund was made available to the North East, along with a share of the £4.7 million Rural Mobility Fund delivered to local authorities across the North to help connect isolated communities.
The Department recognises that existing highways infrastructure needs constant improvement, hence £82.9 million was allocated to the North East to support highways maintenance, pothole repairs and local transport measures in 2021/22. This planned investment follows the delivery already well underway, for example on the transformational improvements to the A19 at Downhill Lane and Testo’s roundabout, which will vastly improve traffic flow through this vital corridor when completed later this year.
Finally, subject to the creation of appropriate governance arrangements to agree and deliver funding, the North East will have access to a share of the £4.2 billion intracity transport fund over the next five years from 2022/23. This is in addition to the £4.8 billion Levelling Up Fund that areas across the country can bid into, demonstrating our commitment to all regions of the UK including Tyne and Wear and Durham.
Asked by: Colleen Fletcher (Labour - Coventry North East)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to support the introduction and expansion of very light rail transit systems in towns and cities in England.
Answered by Rachel Maclean
The Government has demonstrated a commitment to supporting the light rail sector. Throughout the pandemic, Government has provided almost £200 million of funding support to Light Rail operators in England, outside of London. In addition, through funding packages to cities, the Government has paid for or underwritten significant investments in light rail in recent years. Very Light Rail is still an emerging technology and the Government will continue to work with towns and cities to ensure any business cases focused on very light rail fully reflect the costs and benefits of new mass transit schemes and identify possible funding and financing routes.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 25 March 2021 to Questions 171702 and 171703 on railways: staff, what factors and characteristics will be examined in that White Paper.
Answered by Chris Heaton-Harris - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
The government is committed to bringing forward vital sector-wide reforms and commissioned Keith Williams to carry out the first root and branch review of the rail industry in a generation. The Williams Rail Review was in its final stages at the outbreak of Covid-19 and was then extended to ensure that its conclusions were appropriate in the light of the ongoing pandemic. The reforms are as important as ever and the government intends on publishing a White Paper with details of its plans for rail reform when the course of the pandemic becomes clearer.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 25 March 2021 to Questions 171702 and 171703 on railways: staff, when he plans to publish that White Paper.
Answered by Chris Heaton-Harris - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
The government is committed to bringing forward vital sector-wide reforms and commissioned Keith Williams to carry out the first root and branch review of the rail industry in a generation. The Williams Rail Review was in its final stages at the outbreak of Covid-19 and was then extended to ensure that its conclusions were appropriate in the light of the ongoing pandemic. The reforms are as important as ever and the government intends on publishing a White Paper with details of its plans for rail reform when the course of the pandemic becomes clearer.