§ Mr. SheermanTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what steps he is taking to encourage GNER to increase the speed and regularity of its services. [62983]
§ Ms Glenda JacksonThe franchise agreement, which governs the provision of services, includes a Passenger Service Requirement (PSR) which specifies a minimum level of service which GNER must plan to provide. The PSR includes maximum acceptable intervals between services and maximum acceptable end-to-end journey 249W times. What services operate over and above the PSR is a matter for GNER. Ministers are considering recommendations from the Franchising Director about the future provision of capacity for East Coast Main Line services, and will make a statement about that in due course.