§ Mr. DrewTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will carry out an investigation into the pricing policies of rail operators in respect of(a) the solar eclipse and (b) the millennium holiday. [93701]
§ Ms Glenda JacksonPlans for the millennium holiday have not yet been finalised but for the solar eclipse First Great Western (FGW) and other operators are planning to run more services to Cornwall. There are capacity constraints which limit the number of additional services which can be accommodated. Wales and West are planning to strengthen the services they run normally by adding extra vehicles.
360WDemand for transport to see the eclipse and over the millennium holiday may be such that there will not be spare capacity. Train operators may therefore feel themselves unable to offer discounted tickets that are normally used to fill otherwise empty seats. Regulated tickets, including Saver tickets, will be available.