§ Mr. MaddenTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport who will be responsible for maintaining services covered by table 51 in the current BR timetable under his proposals for the railways; whether a national railway timetable will be published twice a year as at present; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. FreemanFollowing privatisation it will be for the franchising director to specify the passenger services to be provided by franchisees. His specification will be based on the timetable being operated by British Rail prior to franchising. BR will continue to run passenger services until they have been franchised. Railtrack will be required to ensure the publication of a national timetable. We expect that the frequency of publication will coincide with major timetable changes.