Parliamentary Search

Written question asked by Wendy Morton (Conservative) on Monday, 6 July 2026, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Thursday, 9 July 2026 (named day). A holding answer was provided on Thursday, 9 July 2026. A substantive answer was provided by Keir Mather (Labour) on Friday, 10 July 2026 on behalf of the Department for Transport.

Railways: Standards

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what route-by-route performance data the Department holds on short-formed passenger rail services across all operators; what assessment has been made of the impact of short formation on passenger overcrowding, cancellations and fare-paying passengers; and whether Ministers have received advice identifying routes presenting the greatest operational risk.

Answer

Department for Transport Operator (DFTO) typically monitors levels of short formations at an operator level every four weeks and therefore is not able to provide data for each route.

DFTO expects operators to provide appropriate capacity in response to expected demand, particularly during peak periods, and to minimise short formations wherever possible, only using them where this is judged to be in passengers' overall interests and helps maintain wider service delivery. DFTO holds operators to account for short-formed services.

The Department for Transport publishes annual national statistics on rail passenger numbers arriving into selected major cities during peak-times in England and Wales, which includes information on crowding. The most recent release can be found here: Rail passenger numbers and crowding on weekdays in major cities in England and Wales - GOV.UK

Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
15980
Session
2026-27
Subjects
Railways Overcrowding Standards
Contains statistics
Yes
Link
View this Written question on www.parliament.uk