Written question asked by Lord Patten (Conservative) on Wednesday, 8 July 2026, in the House of Lords. It was due for an answer on Wednesday, 22 July 2026. It was answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill (Labour) on Monday, 20 July 2026 on behalf of the Department for Transport.

South West Main Line: Rolling Stock

Question: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the availability of South Western Railways' passenger carriages to meet the publicised numbers for services on the mainline between Salisbury and Exeter.

Answer: The Department monitors South Western Railway’s (SWR) performance and fleet availability through its regular contractual and operational oversight arrangements, including services on the Salisbury to Exeter route. SWR plans its West of England services on the basis that some Class 158 and 159 trains will be unavailable for maintenance, overhaul or faults, with availability also affected by unplanned repairs and the availability of replacement parts. SWR seeks to mitigate any resulting impact on passengers through train formation changes where possible and continues to work with suppliers and maintenance teams to improve fleet availability and reliability.

Secondary information