§ Mr. KeetchTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many trains travelling from Worcester to Hereford have been prematurely terminated at(a) Malvern and (b) Ledbury stations in the past six months; what percentage of total journeys from Worcester to Hereford this represents; and if he will make a statement. [99877]
939W
§ Mr.JamiesonDuring the period from 18 August 2002 to 1 February 2003, 1,854 trains were timetabled to travel between Worcester and Hereford of which 1,818 arrived at Hereford. This means that 36 trains or 1.94 per cent. of the timetabled services failed to complete their journeys in full.
§ Mr. Ben ChapmanTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans he has to ensure sufficient passenger capacity on cross country trains. [100461]
§ Mr. JamiesonAll train operators have an obligation to avoid excessive overcrowding on the services they provide, and they must agree a plan with the Strategic Rail Authority detailing how they will match capacity to demand. The authority have recently announced a number of timetable revisions agreed with Virgin Cross Country to be made from May and September which are aimed at improving performance and relieving congestion. In the longer-term the authority's "Capacity Utilisation Policy" will determine the most efficient use of the network.