Written question asked by Andy McDonald (Labour) on Tuesday, 15 October 2019, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Thursday, 17 October 2019. It was answered by Chris Heaton-Harris (Conservative) on Wednesday, 23 October 2019 on behalf of the Department for Transport.

West Coast Partnership Rail Franchise

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the (a) volume of passenger data which will be transferred from Virgin and Stagecoach to new West Coast Partnership operator First/Trenitalia before the start of the new franchise in December 2019 and (b) effect of the level of data transferred on the quality of passenger service under that new franchise.

Answer: All incumbent and incoming franchisees are required to comply with the provisions in their respective Franchise Agreements. This includes the provisions relating to the use and transfer of data held by the incumbent. The incoming and outgoing franchisees must also comply with the terms of the General Data Protection Regulation 2016 and the Data Protection Act 2018. In the case of the West Coast Partnership mobilisation, the Department expects both operators to adhere to these requirements to enable a smooth transition for passengers in time for day one operations under First Trenitalia.

Secondary information