Written question asked by Lord Roberts of Llandudno (Liberal Democrat), in the House of Lords. It was answered by Earl Attlee (Conservative) on Monday, 27 February 2012.

Railways: Rolling Stock

Question: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they have taken to end overcrowding on trains on the Chester-Holyhead line.

Answer: Passengers on the west coast main line will benefit from 106 extra Pendolino carriages, which will provide 7,420 extra seats. These carriages will produce four new 11-car Pendolino trains and lengthen 31 existing Pendolino trains by two carriages. These are set to come into full service by December 2012. The addition of the new trains and extra carriages to the existing fleet will provide more flexibility to enable the train operator to allocate the rolling stock (such as the diesel Voyager rolling stock which operates between Chester and Holyhead) in their fleet in order to best meet demand.

Secondary information