§ Mr. TrotterTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what assessment he has made of(a) the change in the availability of through full-fare rail tickets from Newcastle to London for business men seeking to break their journey at places between Birmingham and 1002W London and return directly to Newcastle upon Tyne, and (b) the impact on business men of the need to use single tickets which are valid for only one day; [21612]
(2) what assessment he has made of the degree of compliance with the Government's assurance that routes accepted by British Rail before privatisation for full-fare ticketing purposes would continue to be accepted, (a) nationally and (b) for journeys from Newcastle upon Tyne to Euston. [21613]
§ Mr. WattsA routing guide has been prepared by the Association of Train Operating Companies which sets out clearly the permitted routes by which passengers may travel on their journeys. This guide requires the approval of the franchising director and the Rail Regulator and they will be concerned to ensure that it protects all reasonable routes that were allowed by BR before privatisation.
The guide has been given interim approval for an experimental period until 31 May. At this stage it does not include Newcastle to London via Birmingham.
Comments are being sought via rail users consultative committees on the accuracy and completeness of the guide. These will be taken into account before final approval is granted.
I have made no assessment of the impact on business men of using single one-day tickets.