Written question asked by Richard Holden (Conservative) on Tuesday, 23 June 2026, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 29 June 2026 (named day). It was answered by Keir Mather (Labour) on Monday, 29 June 2026 on behalf of the Department for Transport.

Railways: Standards

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many requests have been made by her Department to train operating companies to cancel rail services since 5 July 2024; which train operating companies received such requests; and what proportion of each operator's scheduled services were requested to be cancelled.

Answer: The Department expects all operators to deliver services that provide capacity that responds to evolving passenger demand in a way that provides value for money for taxpayers. The Department may accept recommendations from operators to reduce services on certain days where demand is expected to be lower and expects operators to publish such changes in the planned timetable. However, cancellations to services in the published timetable are an operational matter for train operators and Network Rail in response to prevailing circumstances. The Department is not involved in these decisions.

Secondary information

Type: Written question
Reference: 12582
Session: 2026-27
Related items: Railways: Standards
Tuesday, 4 August 2026
Written questions
House of Commons
Subjects: Railways Standards
Contains statistics: Yes
Link: View this Written question on www.parliament.uk