Tag: Lilian Greenwood

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lilian Greenwood on 2016-03-02.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 26 February 2016 to Question 28078, what plans his Department has for spending the remaining £40.89 million that was allocated to the South East Flexible Ticketing programme.

Claire Perry

The Government is fully committed to modernising rail ticketing and to honouring the contractual commitments made under the South East Flexible Ticketing programme. Beyond that we are working with industry to find the best way to deliver smart ticket solutions that meet customers’ needs and take advantage of technological improvements, so ensuring that everyone is benefitting from 21st century ticketing.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lilian Greenwood on 2016-04-12.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the average maintenance cost per lane mile incurred by the Highways Agency and Highways England was in each year between 2012-13 and 2015-16.

Andrew Jones

As reported in Annual Reports, the average maintenance cost per lane mile incurred by Highways England and formerly as the Highways Agency is:

2012-13: £40,000

2013-14: £44,000

2014-15: £51,000

2015-16: £50,000*

* figures for 2015 -16 have not yet been audited as part of the annual accounts, which form part of the Annual Report.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lilian Greenwood on 2016-04-13.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to page two of the minutes of the Office of Rail and Road’s board meeting on 22 September 2015, what the Govia Thameslink class 700 evacuation safety risks are that are referred to in those minutes.

Claire Perry

The evacuation safety risk referred to in the Office of Rail and Road’s Board meeting on 22 September 2015 relates to evacuation from a class 700 new Thameslink train in the Snow Hill Tunnels within the Thameslink core section. The Office of Rail and Road has since confirmed that this is a matter for the London Fire Brigade to consider. Both Network Rail, the infrastructure operator, and Govia Thameslink Railway, the Thameslink train operator, have met with the Fire Brigade to discuss the matter. We understand that the London Fire Brigade is content with the measures that have been put in place.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lilian Greenwood on 2016-04-22.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what funding his Department reserved in the HS2 budget for compensation to train operating companies in the form of (a) Schedule 4 payments, (b) Schedule 8 payments and (c) otherwise.

Mr Robert Goodwill

Compensation to train operating companies is included in the overall budget for HS2 of £55.7 billion (in 2015 prices) as established as part of SR15. Whilst the budget includes an allocation of costs for compensation to train operators‎, making these sums publicly available could affect our commercial position when negotiating with train operators.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lilian Greenwood on 2016-04-28.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether Network Rail’s planned Market Harborough rail-straightening works in Control Period 5 are fully funded.

Claire Perry

The planned work at Market Harborough to straighten the line and reduce journey times is part of this government’s £38bn investment in the railway over the period to 2019.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lilian Greenwood on 2016-05-23.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when he expects the first Thameslink Class 700 train to enter revenue-earning service.

Claire Perry

The new Class 700 Thameslink trains built by Siemens will first enter service on the Brighton to Bedford route. It is important that when the trains are introduced that they operate reliably on these heavily used sections of the rail network. It is to this end that the trains are currently undergoing extensive testing on the Thameslink routes. They are also being used for driver training by Govia Thameslink Railway Ltd and operational testing of new infrastructure at stations on the Thameslink routes. This phase of testing is nearing completion and the trains are expected to enter passenger service in due course.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lilian Greenwood on 2016-06-06.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what his policy is on local authorities creating new municipal bus companies in England.

Andrew Jones

The Bus Services Bill, which had its first reading in the House of Lords on 19^th May, sets out the Government’s policy regarding the creation of new municipal bus companies in England. Clause 21 of the Bill proposes to restrict the ability of local authorities in England to establish companies for the purposes of operating local bus services.

Government recognises the quality services that existing municipal bus companies provide for passengers, and these existing companies will not be affected by the provisions in the Bill. However, it is our view that the commissioning and provision of bus services should be kept separate, particularly as the introduction of new partnership and franchising powers in the Bill is likely to lead to more local authority control and influence of local services.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lilian Greenwood on 2016-06-13.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether train operators are required in selecting new rolling stock to make an assessment of the effect of such selection on UK industry and the wider UK economy.

Claire Perry

Procurement and evaluation of rolling stock is a matter for the private operators, as it has been since privatisation. However, I note that there are now two rolling stock assembly plants in the UK, operated by Bombardier and Hitachi, and the Government welcomes the jobs and economic benefits that these plants bring.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lilian Greenwood on 2016-07-07.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what information his Department holds on which safety responsibilities Govia Thameslink Railway Ltd plans to be discharged by staff employed in the proposed role of on-board supervisor.

Claire Perry

Transport safety is a key objective of the Government and the UK has one of the safest railways in Europe. Each operator is responsible for the safety of their staff, passengers and services. The Office of Rail and Road’s duty is to ensure that those responsible for keeping Britain’s railways safe for passengers, and providing a safe place for staff to work, do so.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lilian Greenwood on 2016-09-12.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 12 September 2016 to Question 45389, and with reference to his Department’s press release, End of the road for grey speed cameras, published on 14 November 2015, how many camera sites that are on the motorway network currently contain working grey speed cameras; and what recent assessment he has made of Highways England’s progress in meeting the target of painting all working speed cameras yellow by October 2016.

Mr John Hayes

The current number of grey speed cameras on our network is 27. The Highways England programme of work is currently on target to ensure all grey speed cameras on the network are yellow by October 2016