British Rail (Hansard, 16 May 1988)

§ 3. Mr. Anderson
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he next expects to meet the chairman of British Rail; and what subjects he expects to discuss.

§ 18. Mrs. Dunwoody
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he next expects to meet the chairman of British Rail; and what subjects he expects to discuss.

§ Mr. Channon
I shall be meeting the chairman on 24 May to discuss matters of current interest.

§ Mr. Anderson
Is the Secretary of State aware of the conclusions of the "Better Rail" report published in March by National Economic Research Associates? Will he ensure that he discusses the findings of that report with the chairman, and will he commend the initiative of the rail 665 unions, which led to this report on punctuality and other matters that are vital to rail users? Will the right hon. Gentleman ensure that the findings of that report are injected into the current studies of rail services in London and the south-east?

§ Mr. Channon
There have been several recent reports, and the one to which the hon. Gentleman refers was one in which the National Union of Railwaymen played a prominent part. I look forward to discussing the report with the union in early June, and I shall certainly discuss it with the chairman of British Rail. The Government and British Rail share a common objective—better quality of service on the railways.

§ Mrs. Dunwoody
Will the Secretary of State give an undertaking to the chairman of British Rail that he will encourage inland customs clearance depots when the Channel tunnel is built so that freight traffic from the north can be customs-cleared in the area where it is manufactured and need not be trans-shipped at some point in the south-east?

§ Mr. Channon
I shall certainly discuss that subject with the chairman of British Rail. I am anxious that the benefits of the Channel tunnel should be felt in the north and in areas other than the south-east. Indeed, I am awaiting a special report by British Rail on rail links for the Channel tunnel. I hope to have it within the next month.

§ Mr. Soames
When my right hon. Friend next meets the chairman of British Rail, will he ask him to institute an inquiry into the way in which British Rail makes such arbitrary changes to its timetables? Is he aware that in Balcombe in my constituency, where many people bought houses because of the ease of commuting to London, several timetable changes have greatly inconvenienced rail users?

§ Mr. Channon
My hon. Friend will appreciate that timetabling is entirely a matter for British Rail, but I shall draw the chairman's attention to that matter when I see him.

§ Mr. Raffan
To return to the point made by the hon. Member for Crewe and Nantwich (Mrs. Dunwoody), is my right hon. Friend aware of the serious concern in Wales about the fact that neither mid Wales nor the south of the Principality will benefit fully from the Channel tunnel unless there is a significant upgrading of the track from the south coast? This is an urgent matter. Will he do his utmost to bring pressure on British Rail to respond fully to the feelings in Wales and in the north, which it does not appear to do at present?

§ Mr. Channon
That is a little unfair. My hon. Friend knows that I am expecting a report from British Rail next month. I shall study it with interest and bear in mind what he said.

§ Mr. Cartwright
Will the British Rail report on improving access to the Channel tunnel from the north and the midlands include provision for a new rail crossing of the Thames to the east of London in view of the necessity for such a facility to improve access to the Channel tunnel?

§ Mr. Channon
It is difficult for me to say what is in the report when I have not seen it.

§ Mr. Tredinnick
When my right hon. Friend meets the chairman of British Rail, will he mention the Rugby road railway bridge at Hinckley in my constituency, which is causing great anxiety? British Rail proposes to raise it by only a few millimetres, yet it is the unanimous opinion of the district council that it should be raised by much more. Will my right hon. Friend consider the matter?

§ Mr. Channon
I shall ask the chairman of British Rail to look into that important matter.

§ Mr. Snape
Does the Secretary of State accept that there is widespread anxiety on both sides of the House about British Rail's future investment proposals in the light of the Channel tunnel? Without wishing to be castigated for being unduly alarmist, may I ask the Secretary of State to accept that projects in connection with the Channel tunnel should be outside the normal, strictly laid down investment criteria for British Rail—

§ Mr. Forth
Why?

§ Mr. Snape
Because even the most Neanderthal Conservative Back-Bench Member should appreciate that the true potential for the railways of the Channel tunnel will not be realised unless those facilities are in place before the tunnel opens.

§ Mr. Channon
The hon. Gentleman knows very well that the Government will support any worthwhile investment proposals that have a sound prospect of improving railway finances. I shall look at British Rail's proposals in that light. I do not think that the hon. Gentleman should get too depressed, because we have not yet seen the report, let alone decided whether to accept it.