§ Mr. HancockTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many train carriages have been ordered in the last four years; how many carriages are expected to be ordered before 2010; and if he will make a statement. [100296]
§ Mr. JamiesonSince 1999, 2,832 vehicles have been ordered. Over 1,500 have already entered passenger service and the rest are expected to do so by 2005. Future orders are primarily a matter for train operating and rolling stock leasing companies. However, the Strategic Rail Authority's rolling stock strategy, now being developed, aims to assess future rolling stock needs and co-ordinate the ordering process.
§ Mr. Don FosterTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment has been made by his Department in the last year of the security arrangements at railway stations; and which have been assessed, listed by station operator. [102198]
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§ Mr. JamiesonThe Department for Transport's security inspectors regularly monitor the security arrangements at railway stations to ensure that the requisite standards are being met.
For obvious reasons, it will not be appropriate to detail the assessments carried out at particular stations.
§ Mr. NormanTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport what measures he plans to take to improve perceptions of safety among users of railway transport. [102228]
§ Mr. JamiesonThe Department is currently looking at good practice to improve personal security on trains. Part of this work includes considering the perceptions of passengers.
Mr. Gareth ThomasTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what assessment he has made of the performance of Silverlink train services from Hatch End and Headstone Lane stations into Euston(a) before 1997 and (b) since 1997; and if he will make a statement; [102285]
(2) what assessment he has made of the performance of the Chiltern Line services from Sudbury Hill and Northolt Park into central London since 1997; and if he will make a statement. [102286]
§ Mr. JamiesonThe Strategic Rail Authority publish performance statistics for all train operating companies in their quarterly National Rail Trends publication and their six-monthly "On Track" publication. The figures for each operator are not broken down to route level, but reflect the performance of their services in aggregate. The latest edition of "National Rail Trends" was published on Wednesday 12 March and copies are available in the Libraries of the House.