§ Mr. KirkwoodTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport what requirements he has placed on InterCity regarding the need for InterCity trains to have back-up air conditioning when the main power unit fails.
§ Mr. FreemanThe exact specification of new rolling stock is a matter for British Rail's judgment.
§ Mr. KirkwoodTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will publish the recent Central Transport Consultative Committee's findings on punctuality of the West Coast main line InterCity service.
§ Mr. FreemanThe Central Transport Consultative Committee commented on the performance of West Coast main line InterCity services in its 1991–92 annual report. A copy of this report has been placed in the House of Commons Library.
§ Mr. KirkwoodTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport what notice was given to Her Majesty's Government by InterCity of the changes to plans to introduce InterCity 250 trains on the West Coast main line railway, the termination of direct WCML InterCity services to Blackpool and the withdrawal of services to Shrewsbury.
§ Mr. FreemanBritish Rail advised the Government of its plans not to proceed with the InterCity 250 project for the West Coast main line, and to withdraw InterCity through trains 10 Blackpool and Shrewsbury, in advance of their official public announcements.
§ Mr. KirkwoodTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the reliability of the East Coast main line services provided by InterCity since the electrification of the route; and if he will make a statement.
486W
§ Mr. FreemanI know that BR is disappointed with the reliability of services on the East Coast main line—for the year to date, 98.9 per cent. of scheduled trains have run. BR has been experiencing initial problems with the new InterCity 225 trains but these are now being overcome. The line has also been beset by vandalism and the theft of lineside cabling, but action taken by BR and the police has been effective and the incidence of vandalism has now been reduced.
§ Mr. KirkwoodTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport what guidance he has given to InterCity regarding the safety implications of train vestibules blocked by luggage in crowded trains.
§ Mr. FreemanThe Health and Safety Executive's railway inspectorate has not given any specific guidance about the storage of luggage on InterCity trains. It is for British Rail to safeguard the safety of all its passengers and it would certainly expect its staff to respond to any situation which they considered dangerous.
§ Mr. KirkwoodTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport what discussions he has had with InterCity about future plans for the West Coast main line railway.
§ Mr. FreemanBritish Rail is currently re-assessing all options for replacement rolling stock on the West Coast main line. However, it hopes to start work on re-equipping the infrastructure of the line shortly.
§ Mr. KirkwoodTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport what discussions he proposes to have with InterCity regarding the provision of European night services via the channel tunnel operating from Edinburgh and stations south of Edinburgh when the tunnel comes into operation in 1995; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. FreemanThis is a matter for European Passenger Services and its continental partners, whose current plans include only a daytime through service on the East Coast main line from Edinburgh. A night-time service is planned from Glasgow on the West Coast main line. Levels of service will be reviewed in response to demand.