§ Mr. Gordon MarsdenTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions (1) what assessment his Department has made of the level of overcrowding on trains on routes between Blackpool and Birmingham; [13920]
(2) what assessment he has made of the adequacy of powers to ensure train operating companies take action to address overcrowding on trains. [13916]
§ Mr. JamiesonNo specific assessments have been made but all train operators have a general obligation in their franchise agreements to provide sufficient capacity to avoid excessive crowding. In the Metropolitan areas, Passenger Transport Executives specify overcrowding controls for the services they require. One of the aims of the new franchise policy announced by the Secretary of State in July was to instruct the Strategic Rail Authority to reduce overcrowding and negotiate new franchises or extensions to secure the necessary improvement in capacity.