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12 Oct 2009 : Column 379W—continued
National Express East Coast
Mr. Tom Harris: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what proportion of the costs of refranchising of east coast mainline railway services will be met by (a) National Express and (b) his Department. [289616]
Chris Mole: The full cost of the refranchising of the east coast mainline railway will be met by the National Express east coast performance bond.
Mr. Tom Harris: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what estimate he has made of the cost of refranchising the east coast mainline railway service. [289617]
Chris Mole: Should National Express relinquish the franchise prior to the end of its full term, the costs of re-franchising are currently estimated to be £1.2 million.
These costs will be recoverable from a performance bond that will fall due under the current franchise agreement.
Mrs. Villiers: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport pursuant to the answer of 20 July 2009, Official Report, column 757W, on National Express East Coast, from which budgets the budget cover is drawn. [289813]
Chris Mole: Budget cover for the passenger railway is one of several programmes included in section M-Railways of the Department for Transport's Parliamentary Supply Estimates, which can be found at:
Northern Rail
Mr. Leech:
To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport how many passenger journeys have been made on Northern Rail services departing from each
conurbation served by Northern Rail in each of the last five years; and what the equivalent figures are for each rail operator serving London and the South East. [289261]
Chris Mole: Statistics on the total number of passenger journeys made by each Train Operating Company (TOC) are published by the Office of Rail Regulation (ORR) in their National Rail Trends Yearbook publication, which is available in the House Libraries, or from the ORR website:
Northern Rail: Rolling Stock
Paul Rowen: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what his assessment is of the effect that allocation of vehicles to Northern Rail from the high level output specification will have on the level of carbon dioxide emissions of the Northern Rail fleet. [289900]
Chris Mole: In July, the Department for Transport announced a major new electrification programme which radically affects the requirements for train rolling stock over the next decade. In particular, there will be far less need for diesel trains and a greater requirement for electric trains which cause significantly lower levels of carbon dioxide emissions.
The Department will publish a new rolling stock plan in the autumn, taking account of these changed circumstances. It will not be possible to provide an assessment of the impact of additional rolling stock on carbon dioxide emissions until allocations are finalised and contracted.
Paul Rowen: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what the age profile is of the (a) Northern Rail fleet and (b) national rail fleet; and what the age profile of the Northern Rail fleet will be when it has received its allocation of high level output specification vehicles. [289901]
Chris Mole: The average age profile of the Northern fleet and National fleet respectively as of April 2009 is 20.03 years and 18.42 years. The average age of the Northern fleet when it has received its allocation of high level output specification vehicles will depend on the outcome of discussions on additional capacity that are currently taking place with Northern.
Parking: Disabled
Mr. Brady: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport with reference to his Department's response to the independent strategic review into possible extensions to the Blue Badge scheme (a) what progress has been made in implementing a non-Blue Badge option to allow people with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) immediate access to parking facilities without incurring penalties and (b) what discussions he has had with the Minister for Disabled People on parking provision for people with IBD. [292142]
Mr. Khan: The information is as follows:
(a) The Department for Transport's response to the independent strategic review of the Blue Badge scheme
set out its preliminary views and formed part of the consultation package on the Comprehensive Blue Badge (Disabled Parking) Reform Strategy (England). The final Strategy, which was published in October 2008, sets out our priorities for action on improving the scheme. This does not include any commitments in respect of people who do not qualify for the scheme, such as those people with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). In terms of improving the provision of public toilets, you will be aware of the Government's Strategic Guide "Improving Public Access to Better Quality Toilets" which sets out how central Government, working in partnership with local authorities, the private sector, and communities, can promote better public access to toilets.
Public Transport: Concessions
Mr. Crausby: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport how many pensioners have (a) applied for and (b) received free (i) bus and (ii) rail passes in (A) Bolton and (B) Greater Manchester since the scheme was introduced. [291644]
Mr. Khan: Bolton is part of the Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Executive (GMPTE), which is responsible for administering concessionary travel, including the issuing of passes, in the Greater Manchester area. The Department for Transport does not maintain records of how many pensioners have applied for passes or how many passes individual authorities have issued.
The last information held by the Department was that as of 4 March 2009, the GMPTE scheme had issued 453,000 concessionary passes. This includes passes issued to disabled people as well as those aged 60 and over.
The concessionary pass is valid for travel on local buses anywhere in England and in Greater Manchester the same pass can also be used on local trains and trams. This is not the case in all local authorities but there is a separate national scheme that gives older people discounted travel on rail-the Senior Railcard, which costs £26 per year and gives people aged 60 and over one-third off rail travel across the UK.
Railways
Ian Stewart: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what recent assessment he has made of progress in the implementation of initiatives to reduce the cost base of the rail network in the north in respect of (a) early electrification, (b) the tram-train trial and (c) measures to replace older diesel rolling stock. [289352]
Chris Mole: On 23 July the Government announced a major £1.1 billion programme of rail electrification for the Great Western Main Line from London to Swansea and the line between Liverpool and Manchester via Newton-le-Willows.
Liverpool-Manchester electrification will enable the diesel trains currently operating there to be transferred onto other routes, delivering much needed additional capacity. Many services will be able to operate as six-carriage trains instead of three-carriage trains today. It will also
provide an electrified link to the West Coast Main Line, allowing the operation of electric train services from Manchester to Scotland. As a result, the previously planned procurement by the Government of new diesel trains has now been superseded. The Government will publish a new rolling stock plan this autumn, taking account of these changed circumstances.
On 15 September 2009, we announced that the Yorkshire Tram Train Trail was being re-phased with a view to the early introduction of trams between Rotherham and Sheffield using both the Sheffield Supertram Network and Network Rail infrastructure. This project involves South Yorkshire PTE, Network Rail, Northern Trains and the Department for Transport and all partners are working hard to get an early introduction of through trams along the route to demonstrate the benefits of combining heavy and light rail infrastructure.
Mark Hunter: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport with reference to paragraph 16 of the High Level Output Specification Plan Update of July 2008, if he will publish an updated version of the table showing the proposed plan to indicate (a) with which operators, and for how many additional charges contracts have been agreed and (b) with which operators, and for how many additional rail charges, negotiations are still taking place, and what stage these negotiations have reached. [289489]
Chris Mole: On 23 July, the Government announced a programme of electrification, including the Great Western Main Line from London to Swansea and the route from Liverpool to Manchester via Newton-le-Willows. This has radically affected future rolling stock requirements, as there will be far less need for diesel trains. A new rolling stock plan will be published in the autumn setting out a revised strategy for rolling stock requirements.
To date the Department for Transport has procured 550 additional vehicles for the following routes: West Coast, Chiltern, London Midland, First Capital Connect, Southeastern, South Central, and National Express East Anglia.
Railways: Electrification
Mrs. Villiers: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport (1) pursuant to page 17 of Building Britain's future, when he expects to bring forward plans for rail electrification; [289814]
(2) pursuant to the Prime Minister's Oral Statement of 29 June 2009, Official Report, column 22, on Building Britain's future, when he intends to set out his plans to advance the electrification of transport. [290173]
Chris Mole: On 23 July the Government announced the electrification of the Great Western Main Line between London and Swansea, and of the line between Liverpool and Manchester via Newton-le-Willows. Full details are contained in the document "Britain's Transport Infrastructure: Rail Electrification," available online at:
Copies have been placed in the Library of the House.
Mrs. Villiers:
To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport pursuant to the answer of 20 July 2009, Official Report, column 762, on
transport: finance, whether Network Rail will be reimbursed for its work electrifying the railway during the 2009 to 2014 spending review period. [290161]
Chris Mole: As with other rail investments, the cost of electrification will be funded by Network Rail and supported by the Government.
Mrs. Villiers: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport pursuant to the answer of 20 July 2009, Official Report, column 762, on transport: finance, whether Network Rail will undertake the work of electrifying the railways during the 2009 to 2014 spending review period. [290162]
Chris Mole: On 23 July the Government announced the electrification of the Great Western Main Line between London and Swansea, and of the line between Liverpool and Manchester via Newton-le-Willows.
On the Great Western Main Line, electrification between London and Bristol will be complete by 2016, and between London and Swansea by 2017. Some of this work will take place during the 2009 to 2014 spending review period.
On the Liverpool-Manchester line, electrification will be complete by 2013. All of this work will take place during the 2009 to 2014 spending review period.
Railways: Fares
Mr. Evennett: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport whether any train operating companies have sought a derogation to increase rail fares in 2010 above the limits allowed in their franchise agreements. [291722]
Chris Mole: The only derogations sought so far for the January 2010 round have been related to the fares structure supporting the introduction of Pay As You Go (PAYG) in London.
Railways: Franchises
Mr. Tom Harris: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport in what circumstances his Department would (a) hold a full consultation process before refranchising and (b) use the specification on which the previous franchise had been based in cases where a train operating company surrender a franchise prematurely. [289700]
Chris Mole: It is the Department for Transport's established practice to carry out a public consultation exercise, in line with the Government's Code of Practice on Consultation, before finalising the specification for each new franchise, including where a franchise has been surrendered prematurely.
Mr. Tom Harris: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport which existing rail franchises he expects to return a net premium to his Department by the end of the franchise period, taking into account all anticipated revenue support payments. [289711]
Chris Mole:
The existing rail franchises that are contracted to return a premium to the Department for Transport were set out in my answer of 20 July 2009,
Official Report, column 758W. The Department's forecasts of any additional receipts or payments under the revenue sharing arrangements in those franchises are commercially confidential.
Railways: Freight
Mr. Wallace: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport how much funding his Department has allocated to encouraging use of railways to carry freight in 2009-10. [291961]
Paul Clark: The Department for Transport provides two types of grants to encourage modal shift from road to rail and water:
Freight Facilities Grant (FFG) which helps to offset the capital costs of rail or water freight handling facilities.
Rail Environmental Benefit Procurement Scheme (REPS) which assists companies with the operating costs associated with running rail freight transport instead of road where rail is more expensive than road.
Funding for both is provided by the multi-modal Sustainable Distribution Fund (SDF). The total SDF budget for 2009-10 is £30.4 million, of which £7 million is capital funding.
In addition to grants, the Government have in the last two years announced record levels of rail freight investment to support continued growth including £200 million towards the development of a Strategic Rail Freight Network and over £200 million of funding towards the provision of infrastructure enhancement for freight through the Productivity Transport Innovation Fund.
Railways: Greater Manchester
Ian Stewart: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport for what reasons services on some routes into Greater Manchester are to be withdrawn; and if he will make a statement. [289351]
Chris Mole: The Department for Transport is not aware of any plans to withdraw rail services on any routes into Greater Manchester.
With effect from 3 October 2009, services were withdrawn on the Oldham Loop route within Greater Manchester in order to facilitate the conversion of the route to Metrolink tram operation, due to commence in October 2011. The conversion represents a multi-party investment by local and national stakeholders of around £540 million, of which £240 million is being provided by central Government.
Mark Hunter: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what assumptions on economic growth in Greater Manchester his Department used in determining the number of additional rail carriages to be allocated to rail operators serving Greater Manchester. [289488]
Chris Mole: The High Level Output Specification of July 2007 assumed a compound annual growth rate in peak passenger demand on regional services of 2.3 per cent. from 2006 to 2017.
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