TransPennine Express provides an hourly service between these cities which will soon be operated by brand new 125mph-capable intercity bi-mode trains.

There is no requirement in the current Northern franchise agreement for Northern to run direct services from Liverpool to Newcastle.

All young people aged 16 – 17 are eligible to benefit from the card in these regions, and market research indicates that approximately 2/3 of young people may take advantage in the East Midlands region.

The Department works closely with the rail industry to ensure it is held accountable, with regular meetings between industry and Ministers and officials. A number of robust reporting and risk management processes are in place to support this work. The Williams Rail Review will also consider the role of the Department as part of its thinking on wider reform.

The British Transport Police does not allocate officers exclusively to specific parts of the network. Train Operating Companies each contribute a share of the overall costs of policing the railway network through a Police Service Agreement (PSA) with BTP. The PSA does not specify or allocate officers to a particular PSA holder or area and it is the responsibility of the Chief Constable of BTP to determine the level of policing across the rail network as a whole.

The National Rail Travel Survey (NRTS) data were collected between 2000 and 2004/05. An overview report, most recently updated in 2010, is available on the Department’s website at this address:https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/73094/national-rail-travel-survey-overview-report.pdf.

This report is the only document which the Department has developed based on information from the NRTS.

Capacity on the rail network in the Bristol area is currently restricted. The Agency Agreement signed by the Secretary of State and Welsh Ministers sets out the limitations that needed to be considered by bidders for the current Wales & Borders franchise when they were developing their proposals in respect of English services. That restriction was put in place because capacity is limited in the Bristol area and, as well as additional services from Wales, local authorities in the Bristol area have been planning to upgrade Bristol local services for many years.

Upgrade works for the Bristol area network are currently being developed through the Rail Network Enhancement Pipeline process. Until these upgrade works are completed, it is not possible to allow bids for unplanned additional train services.

Given this background, bidders for the Wales & Borders franchise were advised not to propose English services on the route prior to completion of those works. That restriction continues in the new Wales & Borders franchise which started last October.

The new franchise operator (Transport for Wales Rail Services) will have the ability to bid for paths to Bristol during the life of the new 15-year franchise once any relevant infrastructure works are completed.

The Department is currently considering updating the National Rail Travel Survey. Prior to making a final decision on proceeding we are about to embark on a formal supplier market engagement process through a DfT framework. Making our budget estimate public at this time could prejudice the Department’s ability to achieve value for money, so we are not able to share the estimate at present.

The National Rail Travel Survey (NRTS) dataset is comprised of two principal components. The London Area Transport Survey (LATS) was conducted in 2000 and 2001 and covered London and South-East regions. A second wave covering the rest of Great Britain was undertaken during 2004 and 2005. Through both of these components, every national rail station in Great Britain was included in the survey.

Full details of the National Rail Travel Survey methodology can be found in the overview report available on the Department’s website at this address:

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/73094/national-rail-travel-survey-overview-report.pdf

Launching the competition has brought no additional cost to the Department. Porterbrook are providing the Pacer carriages that will be converted into community assets free of charge. One member of Department staff will be responsible for the day to day running the competition for the next six months. This will include supporting external judges, who are giving their time for free, to select winning community groups when the competition closes in September.

The current Great Western franchise agreement expires at 01.59am on 1 April 2020, having been extended to the fullest extent possible under its terms. In November 2017 the Secretary of State announced his intention to negotiate a new franchise agreement with the incumbent operator and discussions with FirstGroup are already under way.

The Department published the response to its consultation on the future of the Great Western franchise on 28 August 2018: (https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/736146/great-western-rail-franchise-stakeholder-briefing-document.pdf). This shows ten areas of response from consultees about catering.

The Department published the response to its consultation on the future of the Great Western franchise on 28 August 2018: (https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/736146/great-western-rail-franchise-stakeholder-briefing-document.pdf). This shows ten areas of response from consultees about catering, including comments about both trolley services and buffet cars

The Department published the response to its consultation on the future of the Great Western franchise on 28 August 2018: (https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/736146/great-western-rail-franchise-stakeholder-briefing-document.pdf). Decisions on policy on the specification of the next Great Western franchise are informed by this consultation, which did not show strong demand for full buffet car catering facilities.

The RAIB does not routinely record contractual terms as part of every investigation. RAIB investigations are guided by individual events, and their recommendations form part of a culture of learning and continuous improvement which has led to the UK having one of the best railway safety records in Europe.

Network Rail’s total allocated budget for the maintenance work on the Severn Beach line planned for July and August 2019 is approximately £700,000. The only additional maintenance work planned at present is ongoing track renewal work.

The Secretary of State may review and update the National Policy Statement for National Networks (NPS NN) at his discretion. The Department’s focus is to ensure that the NPS NN, introduced in 2014, remains fit-for-purpose. At this time there are no ambitions or fixed timescales for a review of the NPS NN. Should the Secertary of State decide to amend or replace the NPS NN there will be a public consultation.

LNER’s new Azuma trains entered service on their Hull and Leeds routes in May this year are due to launch on Edinburgh services from 1st August and will then be serving destinations North of Edinburgh by the end of the year.

These state-of-the-art trains, delivered as part of the government-funded Intercity Express Programme, have more seats, better legroom and will be more reliable.

The full fleet of 65 trains compared to 45 old trains will be in service from 2020 enabling additional services to be run increasing capacity further.

Since 2010, some 42 new stations have been opened across the rail network.

The Government supports proposals for new stations that help provide a solution to local traffic congestion or fulfill a new opportunity such as a housing development, business/retail park or airport.

Good progress is made on proposals that provide a robust business case, a sponsor and funding.

Since May, Cheshire’s passengers have received a new direct hourly service between Chester and Leeds, linking the two cities for the first time in many years. Services also started on the Halton curve after a gap of 40 years. Customers in my right hon. Friend’s area will benefit from Northern’s £500 million investment in new trains, which started being rolled out on 1 July.

Turning to stations, I had the pleasure of visiting Handforth station recently with my right hon. Friend. I am happy to say that it is one of the 73 stations in the Access for All programme that will receive an accessible route to and between platforms. The new £20 million Warrington West station is also due to open this autumn.

We have seen positive progress, with the introduction of the first brand new trains on routes across the north for a generation. There are currently nine in passenger service; the hon. Lady may be interested to know that they will be serving Rochdale from autumn this year. Alongside the roll-out of new trains and the introduction of the refurbished trains, Northern Rail is working to remove Pacers from the network. The first of them will be removed in August—only a few weeks away.