Written question asked by Howard Stoate (Labour) on Thursday, 21 January 2010, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 25 January 2010. It was answered by Chris Mole (Labour) on Friday, 29 January 2010 on behalf of the Department for Transport.

Railways: Kent

Question: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what financial penalties apply in respect of each franchised train operating company serving Kent when scheduled trains (a) are cancelled and (b) arrive late.

Answer: Financial penalties are not applied on a per-train basis under the franchise agreement with Southeastern which operates passenger rail services in Kent.However, penalties can be applied under the franchise agreement if Southeastern exceeds a threshold for overall delay or cancellations. These penalties are outlined in the Department's enforcement policy which provides for a range of actions that may be applied in the event of a contravention of a franchise agreement. These can include requiring an operator to put in place remedial plans, making performance-based payments, and ultimately an operator's franchise can be terminated.The enforcement policy can be found on the Department's website at:"http://www.dft.gov.uk/"

Secondary information