Train Services (Hansard, 12 January 1999)

§ 26. Mr. Win Griffiths
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what steps he is taking to improve the reliability and quality of rail passenger services. [63591]

§ Dr. Reid
On 26 November we agreed an action plan with all franchisees and Railtrack to improve performance. Measures include 800 new train drivers, 500 new vehicles, and a new national passenger survey. There will be a wider-ranging National Railway Summit next February to look at longer term improvements.

§ 29. Mr. Dennis Turner
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what steps he is taking which will enhance the reliability and quality of passenger rail services. [63594]

§ Dr. Reid
The Deputy Prime Minister, the Minister for Transport in London and I met representatives of all franchisees and Railtrack on 26 November and agreed an action plan to tackle performance problems. Measures include 800 new train drivers, 500 new vehicles, a joint "hit squad" to identify and tackle the worst 50 blackspots, a national "trouble shooter" team to tackle punctuality problems, and a new national passenger survey to find out what passengers think about their rail services. A wider-ranging National Railway Summit will be held next February to build on the measures and action identified.

§ 34. Jacqui Smith
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what progress is being made in improving passenger rail services. [63599]

§ Ms Glenda Jackson
Although a number of train operators have taken steps to improve performance levels, overall performance has continued to fall. When the Deputy Prime Minister, the Minister of Transport and I met with passenger rail franchisees and Railtrack on 26 November we made it clear that current performance levels are unacceptable and that we expect to see progressive year on year improvements from the rail industry. An action plan to tackle short term performance problems was agreed at the meeting. There will also be a wide-ranging National Railway Summit next February to look at medium to longer term improvements.