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Written question asked by Lord Bradshaw (Liberal Democrat) on Wednesday, 11 March 2015, in the House of Lords. It was due for an answer on Wednesday, 25 March 2015. It was answered by Baroness Kramer (Liberal Democrat) on Wednesday, 18 March 2015 on behalf of the Department for Transport.

Rail North

Question

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the amount that could be saved by Rail North adopting financial arrangements similar to those by which Transport Scotland is acquiring new rolling stock at advantageous prices by giving a residual guarantee that it will be used for franchises beyond that now in place.

Answer

As set out in the March 2012 Rail Command Paper, the Government’s policy is for a market led approach to rolling stock with flexibility for bidders on the rolling stock solutions.

The commercial and risk position of the ScotRail franchise is a matter for Transport Scotland. The relevant documents are commercially confidential between Transport Scotland and the franchisee and the Department for Transport is unable to comment on whether there is a price advantage as a result of the approach. Price is an important consideration for rolling stock procurement, as are risk transfer to the private sector and flexibility.

Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
HL5634
Session
2014-15
Subjects
Procurement Prices Rolling stock Rail North
Contains statistics
Yes
Link
View this Written question on www.parliament.uk