Parliament is back , and so are the questions.

Answers :

Mrs. Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Leyton and Wanstead (Harry Cohen) of 25 July 2007, Official Report, column 1070W, on Metronet finance, what estimate she has made of the extent of the public finance commitment as a result of Metronet entering administration; and what proportion of the total her Department expects to pay.

Ms Rosie Winterton: Transport for London and London Underground continue to discuss the best strategy for taking Metronet out of Administration with the PPP Administrators, taking into account all the associated financial implications, in accordance with their respective duties. In advance of their conclusion, it would be inappropriate to comment on the potential public finance impacts.

Mr. Scott: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what discussions she has held following the report of the Office of Rail Regulation on the increase in rail defects caused by heavier trains introduced over the last two years.

Ms Rosie Winterton [holding answer 12 September 2007]: Department for Transport officials are engaged with Network Rail, train operators and the train manufacturers on the impact trains have on track.

Looking to the future the Department is taking a lead in specifying lighter trains that have been assessed using the latest industry models to optimise the train design.

Andrew Mackinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when the Safety Inspectorate last inspected c2c’s platform capacity at Limehouse Station during peak travel times; and if she will make a statement.

Mr. Tom Harris: This is an operational matter for c2c.

Mr. Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many carriages are currently (a) in service and (b) out of service on the Kent Integrated Franchise.

Mr. Tom Harris: There are 1,292 carriages in operation on the franchise. 18 carriages are currently not in service due to fire, crash and derailment damage.

Clive Efford: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) which platforms on the North Kent lines between London and Dartford need lengthening to accommodate 12 car trains; and when she expects this work to be completed;

(2) what discussions her Department has had with Southeastern Trains on introducing 12 car trains; and if she will make a statement;

3) what estimate she has made of the future demands for extra capacity on North Kent services between London and Dartford; and if she will make a statement.

Mr. Tom Harris: The rail White Paper published in July set out the safety, reliability and capacity improvements the Government want to buy by 2014. The next step in the process is for the industry to consider in more detail how best to deliver those improvements, though the specimen capacity options published in conjunction with the White Paper did identify platform lengthening on two of the three London to Dartford routes as a scheme which could contribute towards achieving the capacity target.

Clive Efford: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment she has made of the performance of (a) Southeastern Trains and (b) the previous operator for North Kent services between London and Dartford over equivalent periods; and if she will make a statement.

Mr. Tom Harris: “Southeastern” is the current operator of trains in south east London and Kent, including services between London and Dartford. Southeastern took control of this franchise in April 2006. The previous operator was South Eastern Trains.

Since April 2006, average punctuality and reliability on Southeastern's routes improved from 86.7 per cent. to 88.9 per cent. The previous operator, South Eastern Trains, had been responsible for raising average performance from 79.4 per cent. when it took over operations in November 2003.

Figures reflect the performance of all services operated by this franchise, as the Department does not hold the data for the London-Dartford routes on their own.

Mr. Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans she has to increase railway capacity on services between Peterborough and London in terms of the number of (a) new carriages and (b) capacity for more passengers; and when the new carriages will be rolled out.

Mr. Tom Harris: A fleet of new trains is due to be introduced on the Peterborough to London route as part of the final stage of the Thameslink Programme in December 2015. In the meantime, the December 2008 timetable will see an extra 16 carriages on London to Peterborough and Cambridge routes. This will allow key peak services to provide an additional 1,779 and 2,490 seats in the morning and evening peaks respectively.

Mr. Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps her Department is taking with train operators to improve (a) ticket pricing, (b) onboard facilities and (c) punctuality.

Mr. Tom Harris: The Government regulate rail fares where operators are likely to have a high degree of market power. Increases in regulated fares are limited to RPI+1 per cent. and the Secretary of State for Transport recently announced that regulated fares will be capped at this level until at least 2014. Fares that are not subject to regulation are priced at the discretion of train operators. However, the recent White Paper, “Delivering a Sustainable Railway”, concluded that the fares structure requires simplification for the benefit of passengers and announced its intention to work with the rail industry to implement a simplified fares structure.

Facilities on board trains are a matter for train operators and the rolling stock companies. They are required to comply with relevant safety and accessibility regulations but decisions on other facilities are a matter for them.

The rail industry has continued sustained improvement in punctuality since 2002 and reliability is now back above pre-Hatfield levels. The recent White Paper announced the Government's intention to specify an overall improvement in train reliability (in terms of the public performance measure) of 92.6 per cent. by 2014, compared to a current industry reliability figure of 88.1 per cent. Franchise agreements with train operators contain performance standards that the operators have a contractual obligation to meet and the Department for Transport has sanctions that it can take to ensure that train operators meet their performance obligations.

Mr. Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if officials in her Department will meet representatives of Central Trains to discuss the possibility of providing earlier weekday and weekend services between Peterborough and Stansted Airport.

Mr. Tom Harris: Responsibility for train services between Peterborough and Stansted Airport will transfer from Central Trains to Arriva Trains Cross Country on 11 November. The issue of service enhancement to and from Stansted Airport was raised with bidders as part of the franchise bidding process.

Arriva Trains Cross Country have confirmed to the Department that they are seeking improved services to and from the airport and are actively exploring options for the December 2008 timetable change.

Clive Efford: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when work will commence to install the two extra rail lines north of London Bridge to accommodate Thameslink services; and when such work will be completed.

Mr. Tom Harris: Preliminary work is scheduled to begin in January 2009. The work will be completed by 2015.

Mr. Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps she has taken to ensure that the successful bidder for the Inter City East Coast franchise includes in their operations a major commitment to environmental sustainability; and what measures have been taken to ensure that such a commitment is an objective when awarding other new rail franchise contracts.

Mr. Tom Harris: Bidders for the Inter City East Coast franchise were required to set out plans for measuring and reducing the environmental impact of their rail activities. They also had to address the main environmental impacts of rail operation, (carbon emissions, air quality and noise); to take account of the need to conserve resources; and to reduce waste and the contamination of water and land. The winning bidder committed, among other initiatives, to reduce fuel consumption per passenger kilometre by 28 per cent. over the franchise term and to invest £400,000 to reduce energy use at stations and depots.

John Penrose: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many extra carriages First Great Western will receive out of the recently announced national total of 1,300; and what change there has been in the number of carriages on the First Great Western franchise since 1997.

Mr. Tom Harris: It is too early to provide details on the nature and deployment on the balance of the new rolling stock. The bulk of this will be agreed with the rail industry following publication in November of the industry proposals to deliver the high level output specification. The Department for Transport will publish a rolling stock plan in January 2008.

Details on the number of carriages operated by individual franchises in the past are not held by the Department.

Mr. Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many press officers are employed by the Office of Rail Regulation.

Mr. Tom Harris: The Office of Rail Regulation has 1.5 full-time equivalent press officers.

Mr. Randall: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what recent assessment she has made of safety at (a) manned and (b) unmanned mainline rail stations;

(2) what recent assessment she has made of the merits of manned mainline rail stations during operating hours.

Mr. Tom Harris: Staffing levels at stations are a matter for the station operator to determine.

The Department has not made any recent assessments of safety and/or personal security at manned and unmanned mainline rail stations or on the merits of manned stations during operating hours. However, a national passenger survey is undertaken twice a year by Passenger Focus to assess how safe passengers feel at stations and on trains. In the most recent survey of over 21,000 passengers most people were satisfied with the level of safety and security provided at stations. Also, as part of the Secure Stations scheme accreditation process, a passenger survey is required to be undertaken to assess how safe passengers feel at the station.

Susan Kramer: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment she has made of the value for money of the Transport Direct portal over the last 12 months.

Ms Rosie Winterton: The original business case for Transport Direct recorded three key value for money measures:

Achieve 1 million user sessions in the first year of service.

Achieve 10 million user sessions by the end of 2006.

10 per cent. of users reassess their travel habits as a result of the information provided by TD.

Of these measures:

The 1 millionth user session was achieved 10 months after soft-launch of the service (soft-launched in July 2004, achieved in May 2005)

The 10 millionth user session was recorded on 1 December 2006

On changing habitual behaviour the portal service includes a self-completion feedback questionnaire. The responses to the questionnaire suggested that for individuals who had made the journey before (about a third of the 2,034 respondents):

17 per cent. claimed they would change their route,

24 per cent. would change when they intended to travel.

Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what discussions she has had with First Great Western on the service offered to passengers on 15 September 2007 on its service from Portsmouth Harbour to Cardiff; and if she will make a statement.

Mr. Tom Harris: The Secretary of State for Transport has had no discussions with First Great Western on the service from Portsmouth to Cardiff on 15 September 2007.

Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if she will take steps to build a network of high speed rail lines radiating from St. Pancras; and if she will make a statement.

Mr. Tom Harris: A high speed line from St. Pancras will open for revenue earning service on 14 November 2007, serving both Brussels and Paris. The White Paper, Delivering a Sustainable Railway, discussed the merits of further high speed rail lines but concluded that decisions on building such lines need not be made until 2012.

Questions :

Mr Nigel Evans (Ribble Valley):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate she has made of the change in the cost of train tickets in real terms since 1997; and what assessment she has made of the reasons for the change.

Mr John Redwood (Wokingham):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether a financing agreement is in place for the Crossrail project.
 
Mr John Redwood (Wokingham):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when the design work on Crossrail will be complete.
 
Mr John Redwood (Wokingham):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when a decision will be taken on letting a construction contract for Crossrail.
 
Mr John Redwood (Wokingham):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps need to be completed before a construction contract can be let for work on Crossrail.

Mr John Redwood (Wokingham):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, who is responsible for additional funding if the cost of Crossrail proves to be higher than the £16 billion budget.

Norman Baker (Lewes): To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what policy changes her Department has implemented since 27th June 2007.

Mr James Gray (North Wiltshire): To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much of the £15 billion for rail infrastructure which she announced recently will be set aside for (a) new stations and (b) loops to permit slow trains on high speed train lines.

Mr Stewart Jackson (Peterborough): To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the performance of First Capital Connect services between Peterborough and London over the last five years.

Daniel Kawczynski (Shrewsbury & Atcham): To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans she has to meet Virgin Trains to discuss improvements to speed and reliability of trains between Euston and Wolverhampton.

Mark Pritchard (The Wrekin): To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate she has made of the ratio of capacity to passenger numbers on Arriva Trains serving Shropshire in the latest period for which figures are available; and if she will make a statement.

Mrs Theresa Villiers (Chipping Barnet): To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions she has had with Transport for London and the Mayor of London on (a) the funding and (b) the construction of Crossrail.

Mrs Theresa Villiers (Chipping Barnet): To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the reasons are for increased premia payments for train operating companies under franchise agreements; and if she will make a statement.

Mrs Theresa Villiers (Chipping Barnet): To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the reasons are for recent increases in rail fares; and if she will make a statement.

Mrs Theresa Villiers (Chipping Barnet): To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, to what use the Eurostar platforms and facilities at Waterloo will be put after the opening of the new terminal at King's Cross/St Pancras; and if she will make a statement.

Mrs Theresa Villiers (Chipping Barnet): To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much and what proportion of funding for Crossrail will come from (a) public funding, (b) supplementary business rates, (c) additional business funding, (d) future farebox projections and (e) other sources; and if she will make a statement.

Mrs Theresa Villiers (Chipping Barnet): To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how the financial risk for Crossrail will be managed; and if she will make a statement.

Mrs Theresa Villiers (Chipping Barnet): To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what powers her Department has to monitor the building of Crossrail and to prevent any budget overruns.

Mrs Theresa Villiers (Chipping Barnet): To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how she plans to achieve the £1,238 million per year saving at her Department through efficiency improvements in Network Rail's management processes and cost control and robust and effective franchise agreements, as stated in the Pre-Budget Report and Comprehensive Spending Review.

Jenny Willott (Cardiff Central): To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many rail passengers travelled on railway lines in Wales in each year since 1992; and if she will make a statement.

Graham Stringer (Manchester, Blackley): To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many new rail vehicles for (a) inter-city services, (b) commuter services in London and (c) local regional rail services were procured in each of the last 10 years.

Bob Spink (Castle Point): To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will make it her policy to close rail level crossing footpaths where they are (a) redundant and (b) assessed as a safety risk and nuisance; and if she will make a statement.

Answers :

Graham Stringer: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many new rail vehicles for (a) inter-city services, (b) commuter services in London and (c) local regional rail services were procured in each of the last 10 years.

Mr. Tom Harris [holding answer 18 October 2007]: The number of vehicles procured for (a) is around 1,200 vehicles, (b) around 3,400 vehicles, (c) around 600 vehicles.

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans she has to meet Virgin Trains to discuss improvements to speed and reliability of trains between Euston and Wolverhampton.

Mr. Tom Harris: Department for Transport officials met with representatives of Virgin Train and Network Rail on 31 August to review progress on the west coast route modernisation programme that will result in reductions in the journey time to and from Wolverhampton from December 2008.

Clive Efford: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if she will make a statement on the timetable for implementing Crossrail.

Mr. Tom Harris: We hope that the Bill will achieve Royal Assent by next summer.

The current programme indicates that the project design work would be concluded by early 2009 in time for the construction procurement process and the start of the enabling works.

Main construction of the scheme would begin in 2010, and we expect the first trains to run in 2017 as part of a 12 month build up to the full Crossrail service.

Mrs. Maria Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what progress has been made on the AirTrack proposals since BAA announced that they have agreed to provide the funding for the promotion of a Transport and Works Act (1992) Order for the project; and if she will make a statement.

Mr. Tom Harris: BAA and Network Rail continue to work together to develop the AirTrack scheme. Although a TWA Order could be pursued by BAA, a considerable amount of work still requires to be undertaken, including decisions over funding the capital and revenue costs of the scheme, before such a scheme can be implemented.

Fiona Mactaggart: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when she last met representatives of First Group; and what the subject was of their discussions.

Mr. Tom Harris: The last meeting that my right hon. Friend had with representatives of First Group was on 19 July 2007. This was an introductory meeting with the Association of Train Operating Companies. At the meeting the rail White Paper was discussed.

I met a representative of First Great Western today to discuss rail services.

Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps the Government has taken to improve the availability of public transport in (a) the West Midlands and (b) Coventry.

Ms Rosie Winterton: The Government have invested in long-term public transport improvements in the West Midlands, including Coventry. Funding provided to local authorities in the West Midlands region for local highways and public transport capital projects has increased from £35 million in 2000-01 to £79 million in 2007-08.

West Midlands has also benefited from significant investment in major bus schemes, with £45 million committed since 2001 to schemes that are realising major improvements in bus services. These include the Outer Circle Bus Showcase scheme in Birmingham and the Coventry Bus Network Primelines schemes. Additionally, the Government provided £4.1 million of funding for a new public transport interchange at Coleshill Parkway, which opened in August 2007.

With regard to rail, Coventry and West Midlands has benefited from the £7.6 billion investment in the West Coast Main Line upgrade. Journey times from Birmingham to London have been reduced and by the end of 2008 the number of services on this line will increase to three trains per hour. Opportunities are also being taken to improve services as part of the new West Midlands franchise. London Midland will run additional train services from December 2008 between Birmingham and Northampton and between Birmingham and Liverpool.

The Government’s Rail White Paper sets aside £128 million for improvements to Birmingham New Street to increase passenger capacity at the station. The White Paper also sets out plans for increasing capacity by 26 per cent. between 2007 and 2014 on Birmingham services in peak periods through lengthening trains and extending platforms.

Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if she will establish a dedicated unit within her Department to work with organisations working to re-open dismantled railways.

Mr. Tom Harris: We have no plans to do so. Regional and local authorities are best placed to judge the contribution that a re-opened station or line would make to transport provision in their areas. We therefore look to them to develop a business case and take forward proposals of this sort. The Department is always willing to talk to scheme promoters on this basis.

Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent discussions she has had with the train operating companies and others on ways to simplify and give greater coherence to rail fares.

Mr. Tom Harris: Officials from the Department for Transport have been having discussions on behalf of my right hon. Friend with the Association of Train Operating Companies. The simplified fares structure which we are proposing is described in paragraphs 10.22-10.30 of the White Paper “Delivering a Sustainable Railway”, published in July. I expect the proposals to be implemented by all operators in the course of 2008, reducing the number of ticket types in use across the network and making it easier for passengers to know they have the right ticket for their journey at the best possible price.

Mr. Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much of the £15 billion for rail infrastructure which she announced recently will be set aside for (a) new stations and (b) loops to permit slow trains on high speed train lines.

Mr. Tom Harris: The rail White Paper published in July set out the Government’s objectives for the railways and committed £15 billion in overall Government support for the railway between 2009 and 2014 in order to achieve them. It is now for the industry to determine how the money available should best be allocated in order to meet those objectives. It is therefore not possible at this stage to say which schemes might receive funding.

Mr. Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate she has made of the change in the cost of train tickets in real terms since 1997; and what assessment she has made of the reasons for the change.

Mr. Tom Harris [holding answer 16 October 2007]: The Office of Rail Regulation monitors fares nationally and publishes these quarterly in National Rail Trends at the following link.

http://www.rail-reg.gov.uk/upload/pdf/330-rev3.pdf

Regulated fares are on average, 1.6 per cent. cheaper in real terms than 10 years ago. Regulated fares are increased by an average of RPI+1 per cent. Where fares are unregulated, train operators must price these competitively against other operators and other modes.

Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the date was of each meeting held by (a) Ministers and (b) officials in her Department with the National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers since 27 June.

Mr. Tom Harris: Ministers and officials have had a number of meetings with the National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers (on an individual basis or as part of a wider group) since 27 June to discuss a range of issues.

Graham Stringer: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the average age is of rolling stock providing (a) inter-city services, (b) commuter services in London and the South East and (c) local regional rail services. [159813]

Mr. Tom Harris [holding answer 22 October 2007]: The information is not held in the form requested. Information on the age of rolling stock by operator is as follows:

 Years

All operators
 13.95
 
Long distance
 16.40
 
London and SE
 12.98
 
Regional operators
 16.12
 
Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if she will make it her policy to close rail level crossing footpaths where they are (a) redundant and (b) assessed as a safety risk and nuisance; and if she will make a statement.

Mr. Tom Harris: This is a matter for local authorities and rail infrastructure managers. Section 118A and 119A of the Highways Act 1980 provides for the stopping up by a local authority of a footpath which crosses a railway on the grounds of expedience in the interests of safety of members of the public using or likely to use the footpath. It is for rail infrastructure managers to manage the safety risk at level crossings.

Mrs. Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether she plans to meet any of the saving which the 2007 pre-Budget report requires from her Department through efficiency improvements in Network Rail’s management processes and cost control and robust and effective franchise agreements by means of increased franchise premia payments from train operating companies.

Mr. Tom Harris: The White Paper ‘Delivering a Sustainable Railway’ of July 2007 (Cmnd 7176) sets out the improvements in safety, reliability and capacity which the Secretary of State wants to secure and the funds available for the railway over the period 2009-14.

Network Rail is on course to deliver cost efficiencies of 31 per cent. by 2009. Further targets will be set by the Office of Rail Regulation (ORR) in the forthcoming Periodic Review 2008. It is for the ORR to determine what further efficiency improvements Network Rail should make.

The White Paper’s statement of funds available shows franchise subsidy falling over the period 2009-10 to 2013-14. This reflects a decrease in the proportion of railway support which is borne by taxpayers rather than passengers. Premium payments are decided through an open market competitive process and the structure of such payments throughout the period of the franchise is agreed at the time of the franchise award.

Mrs. Maria Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the projected change in passenger numbers using the rail network between (a) Basingstoke and London and (b) Basingstoke and Reading is in each of the next five years.

Mr. Tom Harris: Forecasts of future passenger demand were made as part of the preparation for the rail high level output specification. These forecasts used the standard rail industry methodology, and looked at peak flows into major cities and across strategic routes. They were not made on a station to station basis.

The forecasts are published in the Schedule to Appendix A of the July 2007 rail White Paper 'Delivering a Sustainable Railway'.

Mrs. Maria Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate she has made of the change in passenger capacity on the rail network between (a) Basingstoke and London and (b) Basingstoke and Reading in each of the next five years.

Mr. Tom Harris: The passenger capacity between Basingstoke and London forms part of the requirement for the 9,200 extra peak passengers the Government have specified to be accommodated at London Waterloo by 2014. The passenger capacity between Basingstoke and Reading is part of the 706m extra passenger km the Government have specified to be accommodated on the South West Main Line routes by 2014.

Mrs. Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the reasons are for increased premia payments for train operating companies under franchise agreements; and if she will make a statement.

Mr. Tom Harris: The Department does not specify the size of the premium offered by bidders as part of the bids for a franchise. It is up to each of the bidders to propose what level of premium to offer as part of their bid. Bidders are first assessed on the robustness of their proposals to deliver the franchise specification to the passenger and subsequently the value for money that their bid offers to the taxpayer.

If a bidder is unable to demonstrate satisfactorily how it will deliver the franchise service the DFT will not award the franchise to that bidder even if the bidder offers the largest premium.

Mrs. Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how she plans to achieve the £1,238 million per year saving at her Department through efficiency improvements in Network Rail’s management processes and cost control and robust and effective franchise agreements, as stated in the pre-Budget report and Comprehensive Spending Review.

Mr. Tom Harris: The White Paper ‘Delivering a Sustainable Railway’ of July 2007 (Cmnd 7176) sets out the improvements in safety, reliability and capacity which the Secretary of State wants to secure and the funds available for the railway over the period 2009-14.

Network Rail is on course to deliver cost efficiencies of 31 per cent. by 2009. Further targets will be set by the Office of Rail Regulation (ORR) in the forthcoming Periodic Review 2008. It is for the ORR to determine what further efficiency improvements Network Rail should make.

The White Paper’s statement of funds available shows franchise support falling over the period 2009-10 to 2013-14. This reflects a decrease in the proportion of railway support which is borne by taxpayers rather than passengers.

Mr. Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what (a) percentage and (b) actual change he expects there to be in numbers of seats on (i) peak and (ii) off peak services from Peterborough to London Kings Cross between December 2007 and January 2009; and if she will make a statement.

Mr. Tom Harris: The information requested is as follows:

Intercity Services

National Express East Coast Limited (NXEC) has no current plans to alter the present Monday-Friday peak or midday off-peak services at either the December 2007, May 2008 or December 2008 timetable changes for services from Peterborough to London Kings Cross.

First Capital Connect Services (FCC)

A fleet of new trains is due to be introduced oh the Peterborough to London route as part of the final stage of the Thameslink Programme in December 2015.

FCC, in the meantime, at the December 2008 timetable change will see an extra 16 carriages on London to Peterborough and Cambridge routes. This will allow key peak services to provide additional 1,779 and 2,490 seats in the morning and evening peaks respectively.

Mr. Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent estimate she has made of likely levels of overcrowding on the East Coast Mainline Kings Cross to Peterborough line over the next five years; and if she will make a statement.

Mr. Tom Harris: Forecasts of future demand to 2014 and of peak crowding were made as part of the preparation for the rail High Level Output Specification. The Government’s July 2007 HLOS seeks, among many improvements, additional capacity into Kings Cross sufficient to meet this forecast demand and to ensure peak crowding does not worsen. On 1 November Network Rail intends to publish its Strategic Business Plan setting out how the rail industry proposes to provide this capacity.

Mrs. Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the answer of 17 October 2007, Official Report, column 1094W, on railways: rolling stock, how many extra rail carriages will be introduced in each stage; and on which lines.

Mr. Tom Harris: The plan for deployment of the extra carriages in terms of timing, quantity, and route, will be determined in collaboration with the railway industry. This process will start following the imminent publication of Network Rail’s Strategic Business Plan, and will continue through to 2014.

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what discussions she has had with the Office of Rail Regulation on the safety implications of the use of train whistles at night.

Mr. Tom Harris: None. Under health and safety law it is for railway duty holders, specifically infrastructure managers, to decide on the safety implications on the use of train whistles at night. The Rail Safety and Standards Board (RSSB), the rail industry’s own safety body, defines the industry’s approach to the use of train whistles at night. In April 2007, responding to public concern, RSSB amended the relevant standard so that

“between 11pm and 7am trains will no longer routinely sound their horns; and between 7am and 11pm, where trains are able to, they will only use the lower tone of the two-tone horn when passing whistle boards.”

Mrs. Maria Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what consultations have taken place on increasing rail capacity in line with house building planned for the South East regional area.

Mr. Tom Harris: Existing and future population patterns were among the issues considered as the department compiled the South Eastern and Southern Regional Planning Assessments for the railway, both of which were published in January 2007. Both documents were produced following extensive discussions with the relevant regional and local authorities.

Mr. Clelland: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the average age is of rolling stock fleet allocated to (a) each of the current rail franchises and (b) the Tyne and Wear Metro; and what the expected average age is of such rolling stock by 2013 in each case.

Mr. Tom Harris: Details of the current average age of the UK rolling stock fleet by sector are published by the Office of Rail Regulation (ORR) in ‘National Rail Trends’ and available on the ORR website (www.rail-reg.gov.uk). Equivalent figures for 2013 are not available although the Department intends shortly to publish a rolling stock plan. Information about the Tyne and Wear Metro is a matter for Nexus.

Mrs. Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport to what use the Eurostar platforms and facilities at Waterloo will be put after the opening of the new terminal at St Pancras; and if she will make a statement.

Mr. Tom Harris: Officials at the Department for Transport are continuing to work closely with Network Rail and Stagecoach South West Trains (the train operating company) to finalise the design and costs associated with the partial conversion of Waterloo International potentially to accommodate limited domestic passenger services from December 2008.

Options for the medium to long term use of the platforms are being assessed by officials and Network Rail as part of a wider strategy for the upgrade of Waterloo Station as described in the adjournment debate in March 2007.

Oral answers can be found in the link below.
http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200607/cmhansrd/cm071023/debtext/71023-0001.htm#column_145

Quote from Rosie Winterton :

"Something like £1 million a day is being spent to support Northern Rail."

Answers :

Mr. Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many additional trains under the new timetable will be stopping at central Milton Keynes train station once the work at the station is complete.

Mr. Tom Harris: In the draft December 2008 timetable, the number of long distance trains calling at Milton Keynes every hour is set to increase from two to three providing passengers with direct trains to destinations such as London, Manchester and Birmingham.

The level of services to local stations and other destinations served by the London Midland franchise (which took over from Silverlink on 11 November 2007) remains broadly as it was previously.

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate her Department made of railway passenger numbers in London in the most recent period for which figures are available; and if she will make a statement.

Mr. Tom Harris: Statistics on passenger rail journeys are published by the Office of Rail Regulation in National Rail Trends. The Yearbook editions contain regional passenger journeys in and between regions. These are available in the House Library or from their website:

www.rail-reg.gov.uk.

Statistics on the number of passengers using rail travel are based on ticket sales, rather than actual passenger numbers. The data is obtained from the ticketing database LENNON. The regional passenger figures are sourced from the Historic Rail Database, an annual compendium of LENNON.

Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans she has to re-open the railway line between Skipton and Colne; and if she will make a statement.

Mr. Tom Harris: There are no plans to re-open the railway line between Skipton and Colne.

Mr. Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the increased platform capacity will be for Waterloo station when Eurostar services move to St. Pancras International.

Mr. Tom Harris: The Department is working closely with Network Rail and Stagecoach South West Trains (the train operating company) to finalise the design and costs associated with the use of one extra platform—platform 20—at Waterloo International by some domestic passenger services from December 2008.

Options for the medium to long term use of all of the platforms at Waterloo are being assessed by the Department and Network Rail as part of a wider strategy for the upgrade of the station.

Mr. Carswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what consideration of safety factors there will be before a decision is reached on the future of the manned railway crossing at Frinton-on-Sea;

(2) what assessment she has made of the effect of changing from a manned railway crossing to an unmanned railway crossing in Frinton-on-Sea on safety; and what the evidential basis is for her assessment.

Mr. Tom Harris: The Office of Rail Regulation’s (ORR) HM Railway Inspectorate (HMRI) is currently assessing Network Rail’s proposal to modernise Frinton-on-Sea crossing. As required by the Level Crossings Act 1983, ORR’s consideration of the safety factors at level crossings must take into account the “safety and convenience of all users at or near the level crossing”.

At present, ORR’s view is that Network Rail’s plans to modernise the crossing are acceptable, subject to continuing discussion and agreement as the scheme progresses. ORR plans to meet local people on Friday 16 November to discuss their representations. Essex county council has given approval in principle for the highway element of the crossing modernisation.

The existing arrangements at the level crossing are unsuitable to deal with the current volume of road traffic and rail traffic. The planned modernisation will reduce risks to all crossing users, particularly those from the local community who have disabilities. It will also reduce risks to Network Rail’s own staff—the current level crossing arrangements pose a significant risk to the safety of the crossing keeper.

Under Network Rail’s planned proposals the crossing will be monitored at all times by the railway signaller from the signal box using closed circuit television. This is a common method of operation on level crossing across Britain’s mainline railway network. These types of automatic barrier level crossings which are locally monitored have a very good safety record.

Mr. Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what facilities will be put in place to ensure that commuters travelling between Liverpool Street and Chelmsford will not be affected by severe congestion during the Olympics.

Mr. Tom Harris: The transport arrangements for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic games are set out in the Olympic Delivery Authority's Olympic Transport Plan, which was published on the 23 October 2007. This includes a number of measures in and around Stratford designed to increase the number of trains on the Great Eastern Mainline out of Liverpool Street that are able to stop at Stratford, and thus reduce the likelihood of congestion on this route.

Mr. Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent assessment she has made of the standard of service on the Liverpool Street to Chelmsford line for commuters; and if she will make a statement.

Mr. Tom Harris: The Secretary of State for Transport has not undertaken an assessment of the standard of service on the Liverpool Street to Chelmsford line for commuters. Passenger surveys are undertaken by Passenger Focus. The results of the latest National Passenger Survey (Spring 2007) are available on the website at www.passengerfocus.org.uk.

Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what discussions she has had with Stroud district council on the proposed new railway station at Hunts Grove.

Mr. Tom Harris: The Secretary of State has had no discussions with Stroud district council on a proposed new station at Hunts Grove.

Mr. Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the accumulated public sector cost of the railways in the UK has been since 1997, including subsidies, loans and borrowing guaranteed by the Government. [162186]

Mr. Tom Harris: Historic Government support to the Rail Industry is set out in Table 6.2a of National Rail Trends which is published by the Office of Rail Regulation. Copies are available in the Library of the House. The Government also provide a financial indemnity (FIM) to Network Rail's lenders, has issued guarantees in respect of certain bonds that have been issued to finance the channel tunnel rail link (CTRL) project and has issued a guarantee in respect of CTRL track access payments. Full details of these arrangements have been previously notified to Parliament and are set out in the Department's Resource Accounts. As at 31 March 2007, Network Rail's FIM backed debt stood at £19.8 billion, and the CTRL guarantee arrangements were valued at some £4.38 billion.

Mike Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many light rail schemes have been completed and opened since 1997.

Mr. Tom Harris: The following light rail schemes have been completed and opened since 1997:

1999
 Midland Metro
 
1999
 Docklands Light Railway extension to Lewisham
 
2000
 Croydon Tramlink
 
2000
 Manchester Metrolink Phase II (to Eccles)
 
2002
 Tyne and Wear Metro Sunderland extension
 
2004
 Nottingham Express Transit
 
2005
 Docklands Light Railway extension to London City Airport
 
Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport for what reason she decided not to include the Winchester to Romsey Rail Link bus service in the franchise re-awarded to South West Trains; and if she will make a statement.

Mr. Tom Harris: The Winchester to Romsey Rail Link bus service was not explicitly included within the South Western franchise specification. Bidders were asked to consider transport integration within their bids, and to seek opportunities within the franchise area. The improved rail service from Romsey in recent years and the loss-making nature of the existing Rail Link bus service resulted in Stagecoach deciding that it would be poor value to continue with the service.

Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what new railway station or halt openings or re-openings have occurred in the last 10 years; what the date of each was; and what the estimated population hinterland was in each case.

Mr. Tom Harris: Stations opened or reopened on the national rail network since November 1997 are listed in the table. The population hinterland of each is not held centrally.

Euxton Balshaw Lane
 15 December 1997
 
Brunswick
 9 March 1998
 
Dalgety Bay
 28 March 1998

Drumfrochar
 24 May 1998
 
Whitwell
 24 May 1998
 
Creswell
 24 May 1998
 
Langwith—Whaley Thorns
 24 May 1998
 
Shirebrook
 24 May 1998
 
Conway Park
 22 June 1998
 
Canning Town(1)
 14 May 1999
 
West Ham(2)
 14 May 1999
 
West Brompton
 30 May 1999
 
West Ham(3)
 30 May 1999
 
Norwich Parkway
 30 May 1999
 
Luton Airport Parkway
 21 November 1999
 
Dunfermline Queen Margaret
 25 January 2000
 
Brighouse(4)
 29 May 2000
 
Wavertree Technology Park
 13 August 2000
 
Lea Green
 17 September 2000
 
Warwick Parkway
 8 October 2000
 
Howwood
 12 March 2001
 
Beauly(4)
 15 April 2002
 
Newcraighall
 2 June 2002
 
Brunstane
 2 June 2002
 
Edinburgh Park
 18 December 2003
 
Braintree Freeport
 10 December 2003
 
Glasshoughton
 12 December 2004
 
Chandlers Ford(4)
 12 December 2004
 
Gartcosh
 9 May 2005
 
Rhoose—Cardiff airport
 10 June 2005
 
Llantwit Major
 10 June 2005
 
Kelvindale
 26 September 2005
 
Larkhall
 11 December 2005
 
Merryton
 11 December 2005
 
Chatelherault
 11 December 2005
 
Liverpool South Parkway
 11 June 2006
 
St. Pancras International
 14 November 2007
 
(1) Resited due to Jubilee Line works
(2) North London Line platforms—resited due to Jubilee Line works
(3) Southend Line platforms
(4) Reopened
 
Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much has been allocated to accessibility improvements at Shipley railway station under the Access for All programme.

Mr. Tom Harris: Shipley station has been targeted to receive an estimated £3,054,000 investment under the Access for All Main Programme.

This will see the installation a new footbridge and lifts to platforms 3 and 4, as well as new lifts to the existing footbridge connecting platforms 1 and 2; thus creating an accessible route into the station and between platforms. These works are currently targeted for completion during spring 2008.

Mr. Cameron: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps the Government is taking to encourage co-ordination of rail booking systems throughout Europe; and if she will make a statement.

Ruth Kelly: The Government welcomes the initiative announced in July by Eurostar, as part of Railteam, to give travellers seamless high-speed train travel across international borders. From 2009 their new distribution system will allow international travellers to purchase, make a reservation and receive tickets for Railteam members’ services from any distributor of European rail tickets in one transaction.

The Government have been participating in European initiatives such as the recently adopted Regulation on Rail Passenger Rights, and is monitoring the early development of European technical standards on through ticketing and passenger information systems for travel between European railway destinations.

The Government believe that the development of rail booking systems throughout Europe is best taken forward as a commercial matter by the operators.

Answers :

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what discussions she has had on proposals to transfer Finsbury Park station to Transport for London.

Mr. Tom Harris: None. There are currently no plans to transfer the operation of Finsbury Park station from First Capital Connect to Transport for London.

Mr. Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the answer of 12 November 2007, Official Report, column 43W, on railway stations: Milton Keynes, whether the increase in the number of long distance trains stopping per hour at Milton Keynes applies to both peak and off peak services.

Mr. Tom Harris: The increase in services calling at Milton Keynes takes place throughout the day at both peak and off peak times.

Mr. Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many long distance trains due to stop at Milton Keynes under the proposed new timetable will only either drop off or pick up passengers during (a) peak and (b) off peak times.

Mr. Tom Harris: Heading north, one train per hour is currently designated as pick up only. Between 1642 and 1942 inclusive, it is proposed that this will apply to all long distance services. In the southbound direction, one train only per hour will be set down only across the course of the traffic day.

Graham Stringer: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when spending figures per head on transport in (a) London and (b) each of the English regions will be recalculated to take into account the decision to fund Crossrail; when she expects to publish the re-calculated figures; and if she will make a statement.

Mr. Tom Harris [holding answer 19 November 2007]: The regional breakdown of our past spending and future spending plans is produced annually, and published in the Department’s annual report and in the “Public Expenditure Statistical Analyses” produced by the Treasury and the Office for National Statistics. These documents are normally published in April or May.

Mrs. James: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent assessment her Department has made of the performance of First Great Western train services; and if she will place in the Library the most recent performance statistics.

Mr. Tom Harris: Improving rail performance is a key objective for the Department for Transport. Joint action plans are in place between Network Rail and FGW to address performance issues. Additionally, FGW has implemented a 40-point Recovery Plan. These are monitored monthly. I recently held a meeting with FGW’s new Chief Operating Officer and Network Rail’s new Route Director.

In the year to 13 October 2007 FGW achieved an average punctuality of 82.6 per cent. across the franchise as a whole and 84.5 per cent. during the preceding four week period.

The most recent FGW performance statistics are not available in the Library, but can be found from the following sources:

Network Rail’s site with most recent four-weekly results by train operator:

http://www.networkrail.co.uk/aspx/742.aspx

FGW’s own site with current performance results information:

http://www.firstgreatwestern.co.uk/Content.aspx?id=265

ORR national Rail Trends Yearbook 2006-07:

http://www.rail-reg.gov.uk/server/show/ConWebDoc.8802

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans she has to improve access at Leominster railway station; whether Leominster railway station will be included in the next round of access for all funding; and if she will make a statement.

Mr. Tom Harris: So far we have announced 92 stations in England and Wales and eight in Scotland that will be targeted for Access for All funding up to 2012. We are currently drawing up a list of stations to be included in the programme from 2012 to 2015 which we hope to publish by the end of this year. While I cannot yet give a commitment on which stations will be included, the case for Leominster has been noted and it will be considered for inclusion.

Mrs. Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many meetings have been held by (a) Ministers and (b) officials in her Department with the National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers since 27 June; and what the dates were of each meeting.

Mr. Tom Harris: Ministers and officials have had a number of meetings with the National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers (on an individual basis or as part of a wider group) since 27 June to discuss a range of issues.

Mrs. Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many meetings were held by (a) Ministers and (b) officials in her Department with the National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers in each of the last five years.

Mr. Tom Harris: Ministers and officials have had a number of meetings with the National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers (on an individual basis or as part of a wider group) in each of the last five years to discuss a range of issues.

Mrs. Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport in what areas she expects Network Rail to make savings in order to achieve the 31 per cent. target by 2009; how Network Rail will make efficiency savings of 31 per cent. by 2009; and what savings she has already identified within Network Rail

Mr. Tom Harris: It falls to the Office of Rail Regulation (ORR) to confirm progress in the delivery of Network Rail's efficiency performance over the period from 2004-09 against the 31 per cent. unit cost-efficiency target which the ORR set under its 2003 Access Charges Review.

Monitoring by the ORR shows that Network Rail remains on course to achieve the overall cost efficiencies of 31 per cent. by 2009.

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much she has allocated to the next tranche of Access for All funding.

Mr. Tom Harris: We are currently drawing-up the third list of stations for inclusion in the Access for All programme. Until detailed designs have been prepared for the selected stations it is too early to give an accurate estimate of the costs for these works. The programme has a ring-fenced budget of £370 million until 2015.

Mrs. Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what proportion of railway costs were borne by the (a) taxpayer and (b) fare payer in the latest period for which figures are available.

Mr. Tom Harris: The latest passenger revenue and Government support figures are set out in National Rail Trends which is published by the Office of Rail Regulation and is available on their website at www.rail-reg.gov.uk. Copies are also available in the Library of the House.

Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the expected additional journey time is for commuters who will have to travel from Winchester to Romsey by rail, via Southampton, when the direct rail link bus service is discontinued; and if she will make a statement.

Mr. Tom Harris: The current time for the Rail link bus between Winchester and Romsey is 25-26 minutes. In the new timetable the time by Rail from Winchester to Romsey via Eastleigh will vary dependent on the time of day but at best is 42 minutes, an increase of 17 minutes.

Additionally, it should be noted that the X66 commercial bus service runs a parallel service taking approximately 30 minutes.

Mr. Gummer: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans there are to upgrade the Stansted Airport to Liverpool Street railway line.

Mr. Tom Harris: The Department is currently assessing options for future train service and rail infrastructure enhancements on the Stansted to Liverpool Street line in conjunction with Network Rail, BAA and Transport for London. The focus of this work is to ensure a better service and additional capacity for commuters and leisure travellers, as well as the growing market for rail travel to Stansted airport. An announcement is expected to be made in early 2008 and the outcome of the work is expected to be reflected in the Network Route Utilisation Strategy for the route.

Mr. Gummer: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans there are to upgrade the rolling stock used on the Stansted Airport to Liverpool Street railway line.

Mr. Tom Harris: The Department’s White Paper “Delivering a Sustainable Railway” published in July, set out a commitment to increase capacity on the network with around 1,300 additional carriages. The Department will publish a Rolling Stock Plan in January 2008, setting out its proposals in more detail.

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what representations her Department has received from South West Trains on the Winchester to Romsey rail link bus; and if she will make a statement.

Mr. Tom Harris: The Secretary of State for Transport has received no representations from South West Trains on the Winchester to Romsey rail link bus.

Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the answer of 13 November 2007, Official Report, column 94W, on South West Trains: Winchester, if she will identify (a) what the new opportunities for transport integration in the franchise awarded to South West Trains were and (b) which established links have been removed from the new franchise; and if she will make a statement.

Mr. Tom Harris: The information is as follows:

(a) The Franchise Agreement commits Stagecoach South Western Trains (SSWT) to:

Procure a bus link between Waterlooville and Petersfield from December 2007

Promote other transport integration measures to customers which may include:

advertising and promotion of integrated tickets

liaison with local bus and coach operators

promotion of park and ride facilities

staff training to ensure staff are informed and helpful to assist customers with their onward journey

access integration, working closely with disability groups and organisations

Install an additional 700 bicycle spaces by February 2013

Establish two new Plus Bus Schemes

(b) The Romsey to Winchester Rail Link bus service is being withdrawn due to the low number of passengers using it. This dedicated bus link is not a commitment within the current SSWT Franchise Agreement; therefore, SSWT are under no obligation to continue to provide this facility.

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what discussions she has had with Network Rail and Transport for London on the possible electrification of the Barking to Gospel Oak line.

Mr. Tom Harris: The Department for Transport received representations and a detailed business case from Transport for London in 2006 regarding a proposal to electrify the Gospel Oak to Barking route. The proposal sought departmental funding for the scheme.

The proposal was rejected by the Department because it was not considered that a robust case could be made for the scheme.

Mr. Prisk: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if she will bring forward proposals for new railway rolling stock prior to the end of 2007.

Mr. Tom Harris: As set out in the White Paper, the department will publish a Rolling Stock plan by January 2008 setting out in more detail how Rolling Stock will be used to deliver the increased capacity.

Mr. Gummer: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what definition her Department uses of an express railway.

Mr. Tom Harris: Railways such as the Channel Tunnel Rail Link, intended primarily or exclusively for use by high speed passenger trains, are normally referred to as high speed lines. I am not aware that the term “express railway” is in general use.

Answers :

Mrs. Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much her Department spent on the recent competition for early refranchising of the East Coast main line.

Mr. Tom Harris: The re-franchising has been completed at no cost to Government. Costs incurred have been met by Sea Containers Ltd.

Mrs. Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate she has made of the cost of maintaining the Eurostar platforms at Waterloo station per month.

Mr. Tom Harris: Eurostar are de-commissioning the station and leaving it in a suitable condition to transfer to the department at the end of March 2008. This work involves taking out all the equipment needed to operate an "international" station—e.g. customs control arrangements—which are now redundant. The cost of this de-commissioning work is between £50,000 and £100,000.

There is also an ongoing need to maintain the wider facilities at Waterloo International in a safe and secure condition. The cost of doing this is likely to be in the region of £500,000 per annum. Such costs would need to be incurred irrespective of the future use of the station.

Mrs. Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether her Department has authorised the sale of any land containing disused rail lines in the last six months.

Mr. Tom Harris: The disposal of non-operational property owned by BRB (Residuary) Ltd. (BRBR) is governed by guidance issued to the company on 26 July 2007 which I outlined in my statement to Parliament on that date. Since 1 April 2007, BRBR have disposed of 13 properties that contain disused rail lines. The disposal of railway property owned by Network Rail is undertaken in accordance with the conditions of their network license. Compliance with these conditions are monitored and enforced by the Office of Rail Regulation.

Mrs. Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans her Department has to re-open the Woodhead Tunnel for rail use; and if she will make a statement.

Mr. Tom Harris [holding answer 20 November 2007]: The Woodhead tunnels are owned by National Grid.

The Department has no plans to reopen the Woodhead tunnel for rail use.

Mr. Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when she expects the Route Utilisation Strategy for the East Coast Main Line to be published.

Mr. Tom Harris: Route Utilisation Strategies are the responsibility of Network Rail who tell me that publication of the final Route Utilisation Strategy document for the East Coast Main Line is likely to be in February 2008.

Mr. Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent discussions she has had with (a) Network Rail and (b) Arriva about the frequency of its direct services between Cheltenham and the North West; and if she will make a statement.

Mr. Tom Harris: Ministers have had no recent discussions with either Network Rail or Arriva about the frequency of direct services between Cheltenham and the North West.

Mr. Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent discussions she has had with (a) Network Rail and (b) train operating companies about the frequency of services to and from Ashchurch; and if she will make a statement.

Mr. Tom Harris: Ministers have had no recent discussions with either Network Rail or train operating companies about the frequency of train services to and from Ashchurch for Tewkesbury station.

Mr. Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the answer of 19 November 2007, Official Report, column 462W, which trains going from (a) Milton Keynes to London during morning peak hours and (b) London to Milton Keynes during evening peak hours represent an increase in peak services calling at Milton Keynes.

Mr. Tom Harris: In the morning peak, the increase in trains towards London will be provided by Virgin West Coast. Before 7.15 am, three trains currently stop to pick up and set down passengers. From December 2008, we propose that this increases to six. In the evening peak, the number of northbound Virgin services calling would double, but as is the case now they will only pick up and not set down passengers at Milton Keynes.

London Midland services will remain at the same frequency as today. However, a new service to Clapham Junction via Kensington Olympia will operate every hour.

Mrs. Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many of her officials are working on proposals relating to light rail.

Mr. Tom Harris: The Department is currently working on a number of proposals from local authorities that relate to light rail. These proposals are in various stages of development from the initial submission of a business case, to those which are applying for statutory powers to operate and others which are close to finalising their bids for full funding approval.

As these schemes are complex the Department has to draw upon a number of disciplines for the provision of legal and financial advice, economic appraisal of the schemes, as well as the assessment of project delivery.

Currently we estimate that 28 departmental officials are involved in this. However, given the nature of this work this will fluctuate.

Mr. Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when the five platforms vacated by Eurostar at Waterloo station will be used for trains travelling to and from the South West.

Mr. Tom Harris [holding answer 21 November 2007]: Ownership of Waterloo International transfers to the Department at the end of March 2008 following Eurostar’s decommissioning of the facility as an international station. The Department is currently working closely with Network Rail and Stagecoach South West Trains (the train operating company) to finalise the design and costs associated with the partial conversion of Waterloo International potentially to accommodate some domestic passenger services. Works on site are expected to commence soon after the station transfers to the Department and will take several months to complete. Services are then expected to operate into and out of platform 20 of Waterloo International from the start of the timetable change date in December 2008.

Options for the medium to long-term use of all five platforms are being assessed by the Department and Network Rail as part of a wider strategy for the upgrade of Waterloo station.

Mrs. Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when she expects the new Virgin Pendolino carriages to be in use on the West Coast main line.

Mr. Tom Harris: Negotiations continue with Network Rail, Virgin Trains and Alstom to determine the optimal way of providing further increased capacity on the west coast main line. I hope to be able to make a further announcement during the early part of the new year.

Susan Kramer: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what discussions she has had with Network Rail on the timetable for future use of the former Eurostar platforms at London Waterloo;

(2) when she expects South West Trains to begin running the first commuter services from the former Eurostar platforms at London Waterloo; and what timetable she envisages for the use of the remaining platforms.

Mr. Tom Harris: Ownership of Waterloo International transfers to the Department at the end of March 2008 following Eurostar’s de-commissioning of the facility as an international station. The Department is currently working closely with Network Rail and Stagecoach South West Trains (the train operating company) to finalise the design and costs associated with the partial conversion of Waterloo International to accommodate some domestic passenger services. Works on site are expected to commence soon after the station transfers to the Department and will take several months to complete. Services could then operate into and out of Platform 20 of Waterloo International from the start of the timetable change date in December 2008.

Options to make use of all five platforms are being assessed by the Department and Network Rail as part of the medium term proposals to deliver the Department’s strategy for providing additional capacity as set out in its White Paper on Delivering a Sustainable Railway which was published in July 2007.

The medium term proposals would require significant infrastructure alterations at Waterloo. Additionally, it would be linked to the procurement of additional rolling stock to lengthen trains. The timescale for implementation is likely to be around 2012-14.

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the Prime Minister’s statement of 14 November 2007, Official Report, column 667, on national security, what plans her Department has to improve security at (a) overground and (b) London Underground railway stations.

Mr. Tom Harris [holding answer 26 November 2007]: The Department for Transport already has in place a range of measures to protect our railway systems. Plans to improve on these measures are being worked through with the railway industry with the aim of ensuring a regime which is proportionate and effective while still allowing people to go about their day-to-day business.

My right hon. Friend, the Prime Minister’s statement mentioned two specific projects which will build on the measures already in place to protect the rail and underground networks from terrorist attacks: passenger screening and physical protection against vehicle bomb attacks.

Passenger Screening

Last year, the Department for Transport undertook a number of trials at London Underground and National Rail stations, to test the effectiveness of passenger screening equipment and explosives sniffer dogs in an operational environment.

The department is planning with the British Transport Police (BTP) and other stakeholders how we might increase and improve the screening of passengers and bags, in the light of the evidence from these trials and elsewhere. The aim of such passenger screening would be threefold: deterrence, detection and public reassurance.

We anticipate that this would involve the flexible deployment of dogs and/or portable screening equipment by BTP across the rail network, with a focus on the busiest stations, both overground and London Underground. The exact locations and timing of these deployments would be an operational decision for the British Transport Police.

Physical protection of stations

There are already security measures in place at major railway stations to control normal vehicle access, such as deliveries and staff parking.

Permanent physical vehicle restraints have been installed at the recently-refurbished St. Pancras International station, from which Eurostar now operates. There are agreements in place for similar measures at other key overground and London Underground stations that will be undergoing major redevelopments as part of ‘designing in’ security. For other significant stations, programmes of work are under active consideration.

Mrs. Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether it is planned that a single operator will run all passenger trains on Crossrail tracks.

Mr. Tom Harris: I refer the hon. Member to section 8, ‘Crossrail Operations’, of the Heads of Terms for Crossrail that has been agreed between the Department for Transport and Transport for London, which was placed in the House Library by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Transport on 26 November and which states:

“Agreement has not yet been reached as to whether there will be a single Crossrail TOC [Train Operating Company] or more than one Crossrail TOC”

Mrs. Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what discussions she has had on the interaction of new Crossrail services and existing commuter rail links running into Paddington. [168662]

Mr. Tom Harris: The Crossrail services will subsume inner suburban services, and there will be complementary longer distance commuter services. Stops by express trains are not affected. There has been consultation by a variety of means, including: during project development; as part of the hybrid bill process; through the Crossrail Railway Stakeholders’ Forum that I chair and by the Office of Rail Regulation on the application for access rights for Crossrail services contained in an access option.

Mrs. Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what involvement her Department has had in the alteration of timetables and services on the Gatwick Express over the last 12 months.

Mr. Tom Harris: There have been no alterations to Gatwick Express services during the last 12 months. The department has, however, agreed a Deed of Amendment to the Southern franchise, which, among other things, will provide for the extension of some morning and evening peak Gatwick Express services from and to Brighton. These changes are scheduled for introduction in December 2008.

Mrs. Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what conclusions she has reached following her Department's review of unregulated rail fares; and if she will make a statement.

Mr. Tom Harris: The Department has not undertaken a formal review of unregulated fares. Unregulated fares are a matter for train operators. The Department continues to listen to the representations of Passenger Focus and has invited them to take a greater role in commenting on the specification of future franchises.

Martin Horwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport with reference to the answer of 20 December 2005, Official Report, column 2932W, when she expects the Rail Safety Standards Board research into passenger emergency evacuation procedures to be published.

Mr. Tom Harris: The Rail Safety and Standards Board published its research on 31 July 2007. The findings are available on the RSSB website www.rssb.co.uk.

Martin Horwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether any people have died as a result of using emergency egress windows as a means of escape following a train crash.

Mr. Tom Harris: The Office of Rail Regulation (ORR) is unaware of any people having died as a result of using designated emergency egress windows as a means of escape following a train crash.

Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if she will urge South West Trains to replace the Desiro Class 450 units on the Portsmouth to London services in the interests of passenger comfort.

Mr. Tom Harris: I have no plans to do so.

The introduction of the Class 450s to the Stagecoach South Western Franchise (SSWT) has meant that older trains have been replaced with newer stock. This has led to an increase in overall capacity allowing greater numbers of passengers to have a seat during their journey.

Mr. Goodwill: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if she will take steps to commemorate the 70(th) anniversary of the setting of the world steam record.

Mr. Tom Harris: The railway heritage movement has a number of events planned to mark the 70(th) anniversary of the setting of the world speed record for steam traction.

Mr. Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what progress has been made in work undertaken by her Department and Transport for London to ensure that Oyster cards are compatible with the Integrated Transport Smartcard Organisation standard.

Ms Rosie Winterton: Oyster cards are the responsibility of the Mayor for London and it is therefore for him to consider, in the first instance, issues around compatibility with the ITSO standard. However, the Department for Transport continues to work closely with Transport for London to ensure the delivery of Oyster pay-as-you-go on national rail in London and that ITSO smartcards can be accepted by smartcard readers on the Transport for London estate. A detailed design study is on track to deliver a fixed price and delivery schedule for the roll-out of ITSO/Oyster dual-operable smartcard readers in April 2008.

Mr. Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment she has made of the implications of Crossrail for London’s rail passengers.

Mr. Tom Harris: Crossrail will carry nearly 200 million passengers a year, increasing peak east-west capacity by 40 per cent. The project will relieve overcrowding and congestion on the existing National Rail and London Underground lines, helping to meet expected growth in demand for public transport and improving accessibility. Many east-west journey times will be significantly improved.

Mark Hunter: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent assessment she has made of levels of overcrowding on the rail network.

Mr. Tom Harris: Existing and future demand for rail travel was assessed in preparing the rail White Paper. It was that assessment, and the associated need to tackle existing and potential overcrowding, that led to the capacity enhancements specified in the White Paper.

Anne Milton: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent assessment she has made of levels of passenger satisfaction with the railways; and if she will make a statement.

Mr. Tom Harris: The latest national survey shows that in spring 2007 around four out of five rail passengers were satisfied with the service they received.

Kelvin Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps she plans to take to implement her policy of seeking a substantial shift of freight traffic from road to rail.

Mr. Tom Harris: The Government provide grant funding for modal shift from road to rail and water through the Sustainable Distribution Fund. In addition: the rail White Paper announced £200 million of Network Rail investment until 2014 to assist in the creation of a Strategic Freight Network; and the Department is providing over £150 million of funding for specific rail freight projects through the Transport Innovation Fund.

Martin Linton: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what progress her Department has made in improving the accessibility of the rail network for passengers with disabilities and those with reduced mobility.

Mr. Tom Harris: Under the Railways for All Programme we have so far announced 100 stations at which we expect Network Rail to provide a step-free route. We expect 25 of these to be substantially complete by 31 March 2008. Further stations will be included in the programme shortly.

Access improvements at more than 500 other stations have also been approved up to March 2008 under the Access for All Small Schemes programme with the results of the latest round of bids to be announced early next year.

Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the projected timetable is for work in London to deliver Government commitments on Thameslink 2000 and Crossrail.

Mr. Tom Harris: The Thameslink Programme has already started on site and is scheduled to deliver substantial benefits to rail passengers by the end of 2015. In addition, some services will benefit from longer trains from the end of 2011.

Assuming Royal Assent to the Crossrail Bill in summer 2008, enabling works for Crossrail are scheduled to commence in 2009, with main construction works commencing in 2010. Operational trials will begin towards the end of 2016, in time for services to commence in 2017.

Answers :

Mr. Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether (a) Transport for London and (b) the Mayor of London's Office made any approach to her to take responsibility for the routes into Marylebone operated by Chiltern Railways; and if she will make a statement.

Mr. Tom Harris: There are no records of an approach by either (a) Transport for London or (b) the Mayor of London's office requesting a change in responsibilities for Chiltern Railways routes into London Marylebone.

Mr. Boris Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport which businesses she expects to contribute more than (a) £1 million, (b) £2 million, (c) £5 million, (d) £10 million, (e) £50 million and (f) £100 million towards Crossrail, broken down by (i) direct contributions and (ii) contributions through the supplementary business rate.

Mr. Tom Harris: I refer the hon. Member to the written statement made by the Secretary of State on 26 November 2007, Official Report, columns 4-5WS. Contributions raised from any Crossrail-related supplementary business rate are a matter for the Mayor of London.

Mr. Boris Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what financial contribution BAA is making to Crossrail.

Mr. Tom Harris: I refer the hon. Member to the written statement made by the Secretary of State on 26 November 2007, Official Report, columns 4-5WS. Discussions with BAA on the size of its contribution to Crossrail are ongoing.

Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what timetable for improvements to the East Coast mainline has been agreed as part of the new franchise.

Mr. Tom Harris: The new franchise, awarded to National Express Group, will commence on 9 December this year. The timetable that it will inherit from that date will be the same as that currently operating with two additional Sunday services.

Provision has been made within the franchise for National Express East Coast to run additional services to reflect the emerging recommendations from Network Rail’s East Coast Main Line Route Utilisation Strategy (RUS). The anticipated date for implementing the RUS recommendations is expected to be December 2010.

Mr. Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether she plans to transfer the running of any of the current rail franchises to Transport for London or the Mayor of London; and if she will make a statement.

Mr. Tom Harris: The Secretary of State has no plans to transfer the running of current franchises to Transport for London (TfL). The Department for Transport has been in discussion with TfL regarding issues that they would like to see addressed in the London part of the South Central franchise replacement process.

Dan Rogerson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what charges were levied on outlets currently acting as retailers for rail tickets, excluding online and telesales services and those located on railway station premises in each year since 1997;

(2) how many outlets act as retailers for rail tickets, excluding online and telesales services and those located on railway station premises.

Mr. Tom Harris: The Department for Transport does not hold this information as the retailers in question operate under licence issued by the Association of Train Operating Companies.

Mr. Vara: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate she has made of the likely change in the number of journeys made by (a) car, (b) train, (c) bus and (d) aircraft in each of the next 10 years.

Ms Rosie Winterton: Recent road traffic forecasts by the Department are available at:

http://www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/roads/roadpricing/research trafficcongestion

Rail forecasts were published alongside the White Paper, Delivering a Sustainable Railway at:

http://www.dft.gov.uk/about/strategy/whitepapers/white papercm7176/

A range of documents are available specifically about the forecasts at:

http://www.dft.gov.uk/about/strategy/whitepapers/white papercm7176/railwhitepaperresearch

The latest departmental aviation forecasts are available at:

http://www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/aviation/environmentalissues/ukair demandandco2forecasts

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if she will require Network Rail to make arrangements to help commuters with luggage, the elderly and disabled to access the underground from the concourse of Euston station while the escalators are being refurbished; if she will assess the compliance of the works with the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) 2005; whether her Department was consulted over the works; if she will take steps to monitor the compliance of future works by Network Rail with the DDA; and if she will make it her policy to require Network Rail to (a) provide and (b) advertise assistance to vulnerable groups when such works take place.

Mr. Tom Harris: This is an operational matter for Network Rail. I understand, however, that they are working with London Underground to ensure that passengers are re-directed to the most appropriate alternative route until the works are completed at the end of this month.

Any work carried out at stations must comply with the standards in “Train and Station Services for Disabled People: A Code of Practice (2002)”. The Department would only expect to be consulted if proposed works did not meet these standards. Network Rail also has a duty under part 3 of the DDA 1995 to make reasonable adjustments to allow access to their goods and services. They are responding to this duty.

As a condition of their licence to operate, Network Rail are required to publish a Disabled Persons’ Protection Policy, approved by the department, setting out the service level they commit to provide to people with reduced mobility, when accessing their stations.

Mrs. Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate her Department has made of the average volume of carbon dioxide emissions per passenger per kilometre for travel by rail.

Mr. Tom Harris: The Department estimates that travel by rail in 2005-06 resulted in an average of 60 g of carbon dioxide emissions per passenger kilometre. A recent report by the Association of Train Operating Companies provides a slightly lower figure for 2006-07 of 58 g per passenger kilometre, reflecting both increased passenger numbers and the wider use of regenerative braking on electric trains.

Mrs. Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport on what date the Government expects nationwide coverage for the use of smartcards on the national rail network to be reached.

Mr. Tom Harris: The recently let franchises—South Western, West Midlands, East Midlands and Intercity East Coast have a commitment to start the roll-out of smartcard ticketing by 2010, with the New Cross Country Franchise accepting smartcard tickets issued by other operators. The rail strategy White Paper “Delivering a Sustainable Railway”, published this summer and available in the Library of the House contains more detail of the Government’s intention to work with the rail industry to roll-out ITSO smartcards more widely across the network by the end of 2014.

Mr. Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) how much funding will be provided for track alterations to enable domestic main line services to utilise the platforms of the Waterloo International terminal;

(2) when she expects the platforms of the Waterloo International terminal to be opened for domestic services.

Mr. Tom Harris: Ownership of Waterloo International transfers to the Department at the end of March 2008 following Eurostar's de-commissioning of the facility as an international station. The Department is currently working closely with Network Rail and Stagecoach South West Trains (the train operating company) to finalise the design and costs associated with the partial conversion of Waterloo International to accommodate some domestic passenger services. The cost information should be finalised early next year. Works on site are expected to commence soon after the station transfers to the Department and will take several months to complete. Services could then operate into and out of Platform 20 of Waterloo International from the start of the timetable change date in December 2008.

Options for the medium to long-term use of all five international platforms are being assessed by the Department and Network Rail as part of a wider strategy for the upgrade of Waterloo station. Costs will be determined as part of this process. The medium term proposals would require significant infrastructure alterations at Waterloo. Additionally, it would be linked to the procurement of additional rolling stock to lengthen trains. The timescale for implementation is likely to be around 2012-14.

Questions :

Ben Chapman (Wirral South): To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what her policy is on the charging of administrative fees by rail travel ticket agents when issuing refunds to customers.

Ben Chapman (Wirral South): To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the effect of the recent increase in costs of unregulated train tickets; and if she will make a statement.

Ben Chapman (Wirral South): To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she plans to increase consumer protection in relation to unregulated rail fares.

Mr Mike Hancock (Portsmouth South): To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the evidential basis is of the stated need to increase the capacity on the Portsmouth mainline and use high density suburban rolling stock; and if she will make a statement.

Mr Mike Hancock (Portsmouth South): To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 3rd December 2007, Official Report, column 856W, on trains: standards, what opportunities her Department has given passengers on Desiro Class 450 trains to submit their views on the level of comfort afforded by such rolling stock.

Mrs Theresa Villiers (Chipping Barnet): To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she plans to convert any of the Woodhead tunnels to road use.

Malcolm Bruce (Gordon): To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether it is her Department's policy to use (a) incandescent light bulbs and (b) LED lights for festive decorations on departmental premises.

Malcolm Bruce (Gordon): To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what her Department's policy is on the selection of (a) real and (b) artificial Christmas trees for her Department's festive decorations; and how trees are disposed of.

Mr Mike Hancock (Portsmouth South): To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 3rd December 2007, Official Report, column 857W, on ports, if she will place a full copy of the ergonomic study on the Desiro Class 450s in the Library.

Mr Adam Holloway (Gravesham): To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the likely effect on rates of passenger car usage in the reigon served by the South Eastern rail franchise in 2008 as a result of recent changes to fares under the franchise.

Anne Milton (Guildford): To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment her Department has made of changes in congestion on South West Trains rail services following the decision not to allow South West Trains use of old Eurostar platforms at Waterloo station; and if she will make a statement.

Answers :

Mr. Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what discussions she has had with Southeastern Railway on the proposed 13 per cent. fare increase at Bexleyheath Station.

Mr. Tom Harris: The Government protect commuters by regulating the average annual increases in season tickets. On Southeastern, this increase is limited to 3 per cent. above inflation from 2007 to 2011.

Individual fares can increase by more than the average, as long as no individual regulated fare increases by more than 8 per cent. above inflation from one year to the next. Therefore, individual regulated fares on Southeastern can rise by up to 11.8 per cent. for 2008.

Southeastern is committed by its Franchise Agreement to zonalise all fares in London from January 2008, including seasons. To achieve this, and to maintain a balanced fare structure, a general derogation against fares regulation was granted for a number of season fares within London. There were no specific discussions on fares from Bexleyheath.

The new zonal fares structure on Southeastern will help pave the way for Oyster Pay-As-You-Go smart ticketing, to be rolled out across national rail in London from 2009. It simplifies the current complex system of individually-priced station-to-station fares.

Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans she has for the premises of former travel centres at Hampshire rail stations; and if she will make a statement.

Mr. Tom Harris: It is for franchise operators to manage the facilities at their stations within the contractual and regulatory framework.

South West Trains has put forward a number of proposals to change the use of Travel Centres at stations. These include details of the consultation responses and alternative arrangements proposed for passengers. These proposals are currently under consideration.

Mrs. Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport which of the proposals in the report by Sir Alan West on security at (a) rail stations and (b) airports will be met from existing departmental budgets.

Jim Fitzpatrick: Under the long standing ‘user pays’ principle, it is the transport industry that delivers and funds security requirements. The Department for Transport has responsibility for the policy and regulation of these protective counter-terrorism security measures.

The Department for Transport supports industry in meeting these requirements through collaborative working to achieve compliance and through the funding of research and the providing of advice. The aim is to ensure our security regimes remain proportionate and effective.

Ben Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment she has made of the effect of the recent increase in costs of unregulated train tickets; and if she will make a statement.

Mr. Tom Harris: In the absence of specific grounds for doing so, the Department has made no formal assessment of the recent increases in unregulated fares. However, we keep unregulated fares under review. The Department continues to listen to the representations of passenger focus and has invited them to take a greater role in commenting on the specification of future franchises.

Ben Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what her policy is on the charging of administrative fees by rail travel ticket agents when issuing refunds to customers.

Mr. Tom Harris: The policy on refunds is set out in the National Rail Conditions of Carriage. The National Rail Conditions of Carriage entitles passengers to a refund on tickets which have not been used, payable in specified circumstances. It also permits administration charges of up to £10.00 to be raised for processing the refund.

Mrs. Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what discussions she has had with Transport for London (TfL) relating to TfL's bid to take over the London Underground maintenance contracts originally awarded to Metronet.

Ms Rosie Winterton: The Secretary of State has regular discussions with TfL on a range of issues including Metronet.

Mrs. Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the reasons were for setting a timetable for the West Coast Mainline with fewer stops made in Watford.

Mr. Tom Harris: One of the key objectives of the modernisation of the West Coast Main Line is to provide capacity for growth in passenger and freight over the next 30 years with substantially faster and more competitive journey times. Therefore, from the December 2008 timetable change, much greater use will be made of the fast lines with up to 11 trains every hour. This means that only two of these can call at Watford Junction.

The more fast line trains that call at Watford Junction, the lower the frequency that can operate to and from Euston. This would then reduce the benefits to passengers overall of the scheme, because the West Coast Main Line service as a whole would not be able to accommodate the projected demand. As a result of the new timetable, two of the 11 hourly services will call at Watford Junction. Watford Junction passengers are also able to interchange with a range of services at Milton Keynes.

Mrs. Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment she has made of the performance of First Great Western in operating its train franchise.

Mr. Tom Harris: Improving rail performance is a key objective for the Department for Transport. Joint action plans are in place between Network Rail and First Great Western to address performance issues. Additionally, First Great Western has implemented a 40-point recovery plan. These are monitored monthly. I recently met with First Great Western's new chief operating officer and Network Rail's new route director to discuss performance.

In the year to 13 October 2007 FGW achieved an average punctuality of 82.6 per cent. across the franchise as a whole and 84.5 per cent. during the preceding four week period.

Mrs. Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what work her Department is undertaking on the possibility of re-opening the Lewes to Uckfield rail link.

Mr. Tom Harris: The Department is not currently undertaking any work on the possibility of re-opening the Lewes to Uckfield railway. Local stakeholders are sponsoring a study into the re-opening which we expect to be completed in 2008.

Mrs. Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what work her Department is undertaking on (a) the possible re-opening of the York to Beverley rail link and (b) in relation to the section of new track needed to create a Cambridge to Oxford rail link.

Mr. Tom Harris: The Department is not undertaking any work on the possible re-opening of the York to Beverley rail link or the Cambridge to Oxford rail link.

East Riding of Yorkshire council has undertaken some work on the former and the East-West Rail Consortium has commissioned a detailed study into the Cambridge to Oxford rail link which should be completed shortly. The Department is in discussion with the Consortium.

Mrs. Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether upgrading London Bridge station is included in the £150 million allocated by Delivering a Sustainable Railway White Paper to station improvements.

Mr. Tom Harris: The upgrading of London Bridge station is part of the £5.5 billion Thameslink programme which was fully authorised in July 2007.

Mrs. Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the budget is for the upgrade of Reading station, as proposed in Delivering a Sustainable Railway, broken down by subheading; and when she expects work to (a) start and (b) finish on the upgrade.

Mr. Tom Harris: The amount currently allocated for improvements at Reading station is some £425 million. The majority of this is for construction-related work but upwards of £70 million may be required for design and the necessary planning approvals. Work has already started on the design aspects and final completion of the project is planned for spring 2015.

Mrs. Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if she will place in the Library a copy of the contracts which have been let for work on the upgrade of Reading station, as set out in Delivering a Sustainable Railway.

Mr. Tom Harris: The work to enlarge Reading station is led by Network Rail, and contracts are a matter for them.

However, the company is required to improve capacity and performance, within agreed timescales and resources.

Mrs. Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much her Department has spent on (a) consultants and (b) other costs relating to the Inter-city Express programme.

Mr. Tom Harris: The Department has committed a total of £6.7 million since late 2005 relating to the Inter-City Express programme, all of which was on consultants.

Mrs. Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment her Department has made of the recent increases in unregulated rail fares.

Mr. Tom Harris: In the absence of specific grounds for doing so, the Department has made no formal assessment of the recent increases in unregulated fares. However, we keep unregulated fares under review. The Department continues to listen to the representations of Passenger Focus and has invited them to take a greater role in commenting on the specification of future franchises.

Ben Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether she plans to increase consumer protection in relation to unregulated rail fares.

Mr. Tom Harris [holding answer 10 December 2007]: There are currently no plans to increase consumer protection in relation to unregulated rail fares.

The setting of unregulated rail fares is a commercial decision for each train operating company. It is in their interests to provide an attractive range of fares and to encourage more passengers to use the railway.

The Department continues to listen to the representations of Passenger Focus and has invited them to take a greater role in commenting on the specification of future franchises.

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what premium was received by her Department from each rail franchise in the last year for which figures are available;

(2) what subsidy was provided to each rail franchise in the last year for which figures are available.

Mr. Tom Harris: Details of subsidies and premiums received from, and paid by franchised train operating companies are available in ‘National Rail Trends’, which is published by the Office of Rail Regulation (ORR). Copies are available in the Library of the House and on the ORR website at:

www.rail-reg.gov.uk

Questions :

Mrs Theresa Villiers (Chipping Barnet): To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much her Department has spent on consultants for work relating to the Thameslink programme since 1998.

Mrs Theresa Villiers (Chipping Barnet): To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much the Government has spent on (a) construction, (b) planning applications and (c) other costs relating to the Thameslink project since 1998.

Answers :

Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what her policy is on the electrification of the railway network; and what assessment she has made of the effect of the electrification on carbon dioxide emissions.

Mr. Tom Harris: The Government's position on rail electrification was set out in the rail White Paper “Towards a Sustainable Railway” published in July 2007. This was informed by a Rail Safety and Standards Board report which analysed a range of electrification schemes including their impact on carbon emissions.

Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent assessment she has made of the (a) cost and (b) benefits of the electrification of those non-electrified parts of the rail network between (i) Southampton and Salisbury, (ii) Wokingham and Aldershot South junction and (iii) Basingstoke and Salisbury; and if she will make a statement.

Mr. Tom Harris: The Department for Transport has not made such an assessment. The Government's position on rail electrification was set out in the rail White Paper “Towards a Sustainable Railway” published in July 2007.

Adam Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate has been made of the potential cost of compensation payable to First Great Western as a result of disruption to its services by the (a) construction and (b) operation of Crossrail.

Mr. Tom Harris: Train operators will be properly compensated for the loss of, or disruption to, services during the construction and operation of Crossrail. The Secretary of State's policy is set out in Crossrail Information Paper H2, “Railway Compensation”
14 Jan 2008 : Column 843W
(http://billdocuments.crossrail.co.uk), and discussions are on-going with the rail industry to develop suitable arrangements.

The project cost estimate has taken into account that compensation will be payable to other train operators as a result of the Crossrail works, based on experience elsewhere on the national rail network. However, exactly what compensation might be payable to any given train operator will vary according to the detail of how the Crossrail works are carried out.

Once Crossrail services commence in 2017, they will be subject to the normal industry processes for compensation for disruption. It is not possible to estimate at this time what compensation might be payable between train operators and Network Rail.

Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if she will initiate an official inquiry into the performance of contractors employed by Network Rail on projects at (a) Liverpool Street station and (b) Rugby; and if she will make a statement.

Mr. Tom Harris: The Office of Rail Regulation has launched an investigation into Network Rail's management of engineering projects including the causes of the engineering over-runs at Liverpool street and Rugby over Christmas and new year and expect to announce their preliminary findings by 29 February 2008. We will not seek to pre-empt the Office of Rail Regulation by speculating on causes before the report is issued.

Adam Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment has been made of the potential extent of disruption of long-distance train services from Paddington to South Wales arising from the (a) construction and (b) operation of Crossrail.

Mr. Tom Harris: The Crossrail works are being planned to minimise disruption to existing railway services during construction. The detailed planning of these works, which Network Rail envisages undertaking, will be managed through the normal industry processes nearer to the start of construction. The Crossrail Environmental Statement (ES) contains an assessment of the expected disruption to services on the Great Western Main Line (http://billdocuments.crossrail.co.uk; ES Volume 1, 2.5.19 and Volume 8a, 6.15-6.16).

Crossrail services will subsume most of the suburban services that use the “slow” lines between Maidenhead and Paddington. Since the Welsh services will continue to use the “fast” lines, no changes are proposed to services to Wales as a result of Crossrail during normal operations (ES, Volume 1, 2.4.9).

Mrs. Ellman: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment she has made of whether extra rolling stock is required for rail services provided in the North West by (a) Northern Rail, (b) Merseyrail; (c) First TransPennine Express, (d) Virgin West Coast and (e) Arriva Cross Country franchises.

Mr. Tom Harris: On 24 July 2007 the Secretary of State announced that around 1,300 extra carriages are to come into service between now and 2014. They will go on routes into London, Birmingham, Cardiff, Leeds, Manchester and Liverpool to provide the capacity to meet growing demand. It is now for the DFT to work with train operating companies and Network Rail to identify how these additional carriages will be distributed across each of the train operating companies.

Mrs. Ellman: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what criteria will be used to allocate the additional 1,300 carriages referred to in the rail White Paper across the rail network; and if she will make a statement.

Mr. Tom Harris: The extra rolling stock will be deployed as necessary to provide the amount of extra capacity at London termini and in other urban areas as set out in tables A4 and A5 of The Railways Act 2005 Statement, subject to value for money.

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many railway stations have been (a) opened and (b) re-opened since 1 May 1997.

Mr. Tom Harris: Since 1 May 1997, 36 stations have opened on the national network, two of which—Canning Town and West Ham—were resited because of Jubilee line works. Another three have reopened.

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate she has made of the maximum additional (a) passenger and (b) freight capacity in percentage terms which can be delivered by the existing rail network without the reopening of lines or opening of new lines; and what additional capacity in percentage terms is likely to be delivered by the implementation of all proposals in the Government's Delivering A Sustainable Railway paper.

Mr. Tom Harris: No estimate has been made of the maximum additional capacity possible on the existing network. This would depend not only on the nature and extent of investment, but on the type, routeing, timetabling and mix of train services operated.

In the July 2007 White Paper ‘Delivering a Sustainable Railway’, the Government set out the capacity required to meet forecast passenger demand in England and Wales to 2014, taking into account the needs of freight, and is investing in the railway to meet this growth.

Mrs. Ellman: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment her Department has made of levels of overcrowding on rail journeys taken at (a) peak and (b) off-peak times between (i) Liverpool and Manchester, (ii) Leeds and Manchester, (iii) Newcastle and York and (iv) Liverpool and Birmingham; and if she will make a statement.

Mr. Tom Harris: The rail White Paper was published in July 2007. It sets out the resources we intend to make available to the rail industry and the increases in capacity, as well as safety and performance, that we expect the industry to deliver in return.

There are no specific requirements regarding levels of overcrowding on these routes. The Department’s general requirements for overcrowding are that passengers should not be expected to stand for more than 20 minutes.

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many rail journeys have taken place in which (a) spent nuclear fuel and (b) nuclear waste was carried through the Channel Tunnel since 2001; and for each such journey what the (i) place of origin, (ii) destination and (iii) volume carried was.

Jim Fitzpatrick: Eurotunnel does not permit these materials to be transported through the Channel Tunnel.

Mrs. Ellman: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when she last discussed the West Coast mainline with Network Rail; and if she will make a statement.

Mr. Tom Harris: While the Government have no power to intervene in Network Rail’s operations, the Secretary of State met with Iain Coucher, Chief Executive of Network Rail, on 3 January to discuss the engineering overruns on West Coast mainline. She made it clear that delays such as those faced by passengers over the new year period were completely unacceptable.

Frank Dobson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much was paid in subsidy from the public purse to British Rail in each of the two years preceding privatisation; and how much subsidy for rail services has been paid from the public purse in each year since privatisation.

Mr. Tom Harris: This information is available in National Rail Trends which is published by the Office of Rail Regulation (ORR). Copies are available in the Library of the House and on the ORR’s website at:

www.rail-reg.gov.uk

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the cost has been of running Metronet since it went into administration. [176782]

Ms Rosie Winterton: In addition to their infrastructure service charge payments the Metronet companies receive money to cover their operating deficit. The PPP administrator stated in September that the net operating deficit of Metronet while in administration was £14.4 million per week, a projection of £345.5 million for six months of administration. This net operating deficit is funded by a loan provided by TfL.

Much of the funding for the net operating deficit simply replaces planned Metronet borrowing which would, in due course, itself have been reflected in public accounts.

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what percentage change from a 2003 baseline she has projected for (a) rail passenger and (b) rail freight mileage by (i) 2010, (ii) 2015, (iii) 2020 and (iv) 2025.

Mr. Tom Harris: The percentage change relative to 2003-04 for rail passenger miles on franchised services in England and Wales is forecast as follows:

 Percentage growth
2010-11
 26
 
2015-16
 44
 
2020-21
 54
 
2025-26
 70
 
Rail freight is a commercial business between the freight operators and Network Rail. The Department does not make forecasts of this traffic.

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent assessment she has made of the effects of the business practices of the rolling stock companies on the operation of the rail network.

Mr. Tom Harris: The Department for Transport made a submission to the Office of Rail Regulation (ORR) on 28 June 2006 requesting that they refer the market to the Competition Commission for investigation under Section 131 of the Enterprise Act 2002.

On 26 April 2007 ORR referred the leasing of rolling stock for franchised passenger services and the supply of related maintenance services to the Competition Commission. The Competition Commission issued their emerging thinking on 19 December 2007.

For further details, I would refer the hon. Member to:

www.competition-commission.org.uk/inquiries/ref2007/roscos/index.htm

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what her policy is on the sale of rolling stock by rolling stock companies to overseas customers.

Mr. Tom Harris: Rolling Stock is privately owned by the rolling stock companies. Sales and rolling stock are therefore a business matter for them.

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what weights bridges across railway lines are required to support.

Ms Rosie Winterton: The carrying capacity of public highway bridges crossing railways is a matter for agreement between the relevant highway authority and the bridge owner (which may be the highway authority itself).

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much funding her Department has provided for the (a) maintenance, (b) repair, (c) rebuilding and (d) construction of bridges across railway lines in each year since 1997; and if she will make a statement.

Ms Rosie Winterton: The Department for Transport provides funding to Network Rail, the Highways Agency and local highway authorities to support the construction and maintenance of their networks, but does not separately identify how much of this is spent on bridges crossing railways.

Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the answer of 7 January 2008, Official Report, column 15W, on South West Trains, what percentage of the mainline express fleet class 442 rolling stock units represented before their withdrawal.

Mr. Tom Harris: 24 Class 442 units were taken off lease before the start of the Stagecoach South Western Trains (SSWT) franchise that commenced in February 2007. The class 442s represented 10 per cent. of South West Trains (SWT) mainline fleet in unit number terms under the previous franchise. No Class 442s ran in service under Stagecoach South Western Trains.