§ 47. Mr. BurtTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport what measures the Government are taking to improve the quality of service on British Rail.
§ Mr. FreemanThe Government have agreed quality of service objectives with the board which cover, among other things, train reliability and punctuality and, for most subsidised passenger services, passenger loading standards. The details are set out in my right hon. Friend's letter of 19 November to the chairman (Official Report, 19 December 1989, column 227–31).
British Rail has plans to invest £3.7 billion over the next three years, much of which is for new rolling stock and infrastructure works to improve quality of service and cater for growth in demand. I shall be discussing progress with British Rail very shortly.