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Rail Services
11 May 2023
Lead MP
Mark Harper
Debate Type
Ministerial Statement
Tags
TaxationEmploymentTransportParliamentary Procedure
Other Contributors: 23
At a Glance
Mark Harper raised concerns about rail services in the House of Commons. A government minister responded. Other MPs also contributed.
How the Debate Unfolded
MPs spoke in turn to share their views and ask questions. Here's what each person said:
Government Statement
Mr Deputy Speaker, I thanked the entire transport industry for their professionalism during the coronation planning. The Government is committed to a railway that works efficiently for passengers, businesses, and taxpayers. First TransPennine Express's service levels have been unacceptable due to challenges from covid and industrial action, resulting in significant cancellations. As of now, 4,000 days' worth of driver training backlog means the operator can only use 80% of its total driver workforce. The decision has been made not to renew or extend First TransPennine Express's contract beyond May 28th and instead appoint a public sector operator to manage it under an Operator of Last Resort (OLR) agreement until market conditions allow for competitive tendering. This move aims to reset relationships between management, unions, and other stakeholders. The Government will also review services in the north to drive efficiency and improve service levels. Despite this decision being welcomed by many, it is not seen as a quick-fix solution due to ongoing industrial action challenges.
Greg Knight
Con
East Yorkshire
Question
Given the significant disruption caused by industrial action on many rail routes, does the Secretary of State agree that it would be better if union members could take strike ballots to determine whether they want industrial action?
Minister reply
The Government has consistently supported fair and reasonable offers for pay increases. The RMT and ASLEF unions have refused to put these offers to a vote despite an overwhelmingly positive vote from Network Rail employees on a similar deal earlier this year.
Chris Bryant
Lab
Rhondda
Question
Does the Secretary of State appreciate that many passengers feel that today’s announcement is far too little, too late? What more can be done to support those who are forced into an industrial conflict with no end in sight?
Minister reply
The decision shows a Government tuned in to passenger concerns and unafraid to take tough decisions. However, the Secretary of State emphasises that unions must also play their part by putting reasonable pay offers to a vote.
Julian Smith
Con
Skipton and Ripon
Question
As the Transport Secretary is fully aware, this announcement is positive news for passengers who travel regularly between Yorkshire and Lancashire. But will he be able to reassure businesses that depend on reliable rail services in these regions?
Minister reply
The new OLR operator will ensure more reliable service levels for passengers while also working with all stakeholders to improve the situation further.
Liam Fox
Con
Wealden
Question
Will the Secretary of State confirm that this decision does not represent a policy shift from the Government’s stance on rail nationalisation?
Minister reply
The Government remains committed to its evidence-based approach, and while today's move is necessary for immediate passenger needs, it does not signify a broader change in the privatised model.
Edward Garnier
Con
Harborough
Question
Given that this decision was made before market-sensitive information had to be disclosed, will the Secretary of State clarify how long he intended to wait before announcing it?
Minister reply
The timing of today’s announcement is carefully balanced against the need for public disclosure and ensuring Parliament can update its constituents on this matter.
Louise Haigh
Lab
Sheffield Heeley
Question
The timing of the Secretary of State's decision is questioned. The hon. Member raises concerns about the poor service levels and the impact on passengers, citing the operator's failure to address issues for years.
Minister reply
The decision was made at a sensible point as the TPE contract expires on 28 May. Offers are on the table from employers and need to be put to union members for a decision; this includes fair offers by Network Rail and RMT with reform.
Scunthorpe
Question
Congratulations on the decision, but can he say more about when service levels are expected to improve?
Minister reply
There is not a magic wand; this is an opportunity to reset relationships and use new management. We hope for early results but improvements will depend on others' responses.
Gavin Newlands
SNP
Paisley and Renfrewshire North
Question
Welcomes the decision but criticises privatisation as a 'bourach not a benefit'. Asks why Scotland has resolved disputes more efficiently.
Minister reply
It takes two to reach a deal. Fair offers have been put on the table and need to be put to union members for a decision. The Scottish Government reached conclusions by caving in, leading to overpayment with taxpayers' money without reform.
David Mundell
Con
Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale and Tweeddale
Question
I have repeatedly called out in the Chamber the appalling levels of service that my constituents at Lockerbie station have received over a long period from TransPennine Express. Therefore, I and my constituents very much welcome the decision, because they had no confidence that TransPennine would be able to turn the situation round. As the Secretary of State says, this is a reset, where all stakeholders, including those in Scotland, can come together so that passengers can have the level of service that they both need and expect. Will he expand a little on what he will be doing to ensure that that reset can produce results?
Minister reply
My officials will be working with officials in the Scottish Government. This morning, I spoke to Kevin Stewart MSP, the Scottish Transport Minister, to explain the decision and how we will be working with the Scottish Government, looking at services currently under the operator of last resort, which cover the whole of the north of England, as well as cross-border services. We also spoke to elected Mayors in the North of England who cover those areas to confirm that we will be working closely with them on the best possible pattern of services going forward.
Paula Barker
Lab
Liverpool Wavertree
Question
I refer the House to my entry in the Register of Members’ Financial Interests as a proud trade union member. It is interesting to hear the Secretary of State talk about renewal dates. In March, when the shambolic Avanti West Coast contract was renewed, 9.1% of its services were cancelled. In the same month, only 6.6% of TransPennine services were cancelled. Why is he punishing some operators for their failures and not others? Is it not time to fix the broken system once and for all and for him to put his own ideology aside and embrace Labour’s plans to bring our railways into public ownership?
Minister reply
When I made my statement about Avanti, I resisted calls to bring it into public ownership because it was delivering on its recovery plan. Since extending its contract by six months in March, its cancellation rate for cancellations it caused has fallen to 1.4% from 13.2% in January, demonstrating that the decision was correct.
Edward Leigh
Con
Gainsborough
Question
The difficulties for people living in Grimsby and Cleethorpes in accessing London via Doncaster on TransPennine surely underlines, does it not, the importance of the campaign led by me and my hon. Friend to get a new service run by London North Eastern Railway direct to London from Grimsby and Cleethorpes through Market Rasen in his constituency and Lincoln? We are delighted with the rail Minister who has been listening to us, but we want his boss to give him full support and get that service.
Minister reply
I am grateful for my right hon. Friend’s question. I know that he and colleagues have met the rail Minister to talk about these services, and the rail Minister has been keeping me updated. We will do our best to try to keep my right hon. Friend happy.
Stephen Doughty
Lab Co-op
Cardiff South and Penarth
Question
The Secretary of State will be aware that many constituents across the country do not have access to any rail services at all. That is the case for residents in the east of Cardiff, which is why I have been a long-term campaigner for a station to be built at St Mellons. We also need the proposed connection between Cardiff Central and Cardiff Bay to improve services there. Will he meet me to discuss how we can move those projects along and get improved rail services for my constituents?
Minister reply
The hon. Gentleman rightly speaks up for his constituents. I remember when we announced the levelling-up fund bid for the connection between Cardiff Central and Cardiff Bay, he welcomed that on behalf of his constituents and the city he represents. Either I or the rail Minister will be pleased to meet him to discuss what more we can do to deliver services.
Martin Vickers
Con
Brigg and Immingham
Question
I welcome my right hon. Friend’s decision. To have renewed the franchise would have been to reward failure. Over the last 18 months, the TransPennine service between Cleethorpes and Manchester could be said on a good day to be unreliable and, on a bad day, totally appalling. I very much agree with him that now is the time for the unions to step forward. Let us get round the table and reach agreement on rest-day working so that my constituents can have a proper hourly service between Cleethorpes and Manchester.
Minister reply
I thank my hon. Friend for that comment. It is important to recognise that this is an opportunity for people to respond accordingly. He referred to the opportunity for the unions to agree a new rest-day working contract, but ASLEF agreed that contract and then immediately said it would take action short of a strike and withdrew any co-operation at all. I hope they will respond to the decision in the right way.
Wera Hobhouse
Lib Dem
Bath
Question
Rail companies across the country are failing rail customers with fare hikes, cancellations and delays. Great Western Railway, whose line I use between Bath and London, is no better. Between July and October 2022, it saw an increase of 179% in delay compensation claims compared with the previous year. The Government have promised to fix the system and create Great British Railways in law. When will they?
Minister reply
There have been a number of problems on the western route, which are often caused not by GWR but by Network Rail. However, I accept that this inconveniences passengers just the same. That is partly why we are bringing track and train together under Great British Railways (GBR). We will continue having a focus on performance. This afternoon, I am seeing Network Rail’s leadership team to talk about its performance on the western route.
Question
I have spoken to the rail Minister about my concerns about the service provided by Avanti and Arriva Trains Wales on many occasions. When many services are cancelled, we are informed that it is due to staff illness or sickness and people not turning up to work. Why are there such extraordinarily high levels of sickness in the sector? What is the Secretary of State doing to work with trade unions and the bosses of the train companies to understand and deal with that?
Minister reply
I have made it clear that I want a thriving, successful railway with increasing patronage and revenue coming in through the farebox. We will not see high-quality, well-paid jobs if we do not drive up patronage, which requires settling disputes and having the rail service be successful in attracting new passengers.
Barnsley South
Question
The Secretary of State says that the Government evaluate the evidence to do best for our railways. Yet TransPennine Express is now the fourth operator in five years to have its contract cancelled for failing passengers. When will he accept that the evidence shows the only way to fix the broken system is Labour’s plan to bring our railways into public ownership?
Minister reply
This is the first one to be brought into the Operator of Last Resort (OLR) for failing to deliver appropriate passenger services. It was largely because of financial issues with other services. I do not take decisions for ideological reasons; I look at the evidence and always put passengers first.
Bury South
Question
I welcome the announcement, but the operator of last resort should have been brought in months ago. As a regular user of the Avanti west coast main line, I find that services have improved but they are still really bad. How many more second chances does Avanti deserve? When will the Secretary of State say that enough is enough and take the contract away from it?
Minister reply
The services have improved since March when extending its contract by six months in March, and its cancellation rate has fallen to 1.4%. I hope Avanti will continue to improve its performance, which will be important when making a decision later this year about renewing the contract.
Alison Thewliss
SNP
Glasgow Central
Question
The Secretary of State mentioned Avanti in his statement and the improvements that it is apparently making, but my constituent Zoe contacted me to say that she has been trying to book an advance standard premium ticket from London Euston to Glasgow for weeks. She needs it for the end of this month, and although she can book her ticket to London she cannot come home again because the tickets have not been released yet. What kind of a service is that, if people cannot predict how to get home? How can that possibly build confidence in the service and get people travelling?
Minister reply
I obviously do not know what has happened in the hon. Lady’s specific example, but if she gives the details to my hon. Friend the rail Minister, we will look into that. If we look at Avanti’s performance overall, we see that it has made considerable progress both earlier this year and since I extended the contract. As I said in answer to the previous question, I want that performance to continue to improve for constituents such as the hon. Lady’s.
Jeff Smith
Lab
Manchester Withington
Question
Many of my constituents in south Manchester will breathe a sigh of relief that there is finally light at the end of the tunnel for trans-Pennine services. As my hon. Friend the Member for Sheffield, Heeley (Louise Haigh) set out so well earlier, TransPennine Express is not the only company failing passengers. The Secretary of State says that he does not think that public ownership is the answer, so what is the answer for those failing operators? When will the Government come forward with a proper plan for the fundamental reform and improvement of the operators that we need?
Minister reply
I set out a clear plan in my George Bradshaw address earlier this year, which was published in the White Paper, on bringing together track and train in GBR so that there is a guiding mind to look at the overall structure of the industry. I announced that the headquarters of GBR will be in Derby, which was welcomed. We will continue making progress to deliver on that plan, which is the right plan to have a successful thriving rail industry both for passenger customers and, importantly, for freight customers.
Diana R. Johnson
Lab
Kingston upon Hull North and Cottingham
Question
Across the Humber we welcome today’s announcement, but many fed-up passengers will say, “After years of terrible service, why has it taken so long?” Could the Secretary of State confirm that it will mean that TPE’s penny pinching and mismanagement of our beautiful Victorian Paragon station in Hull, and the five-year saga of the substandard toilets it installed, will be over? Will the Secretary of State agree to meet Humber MPs and businesses to discuss the rail electrification that is still missing from the integrated rail review, and projects such as the reinstallation of the line between Hull and York?
Minister reply
I am grateful to the right hon. Lady for welcoming today’s decision. It is a moment to reset relationships to improve services for her constituents. On the specific question of the toilets at the station, I do not have the details to hand, but on that and her specific request to meet MPs from the Humber area, I will make sure that the rail Minister responds accordingly and sets up that meeting, at which she can discuss that issue and other colleagues can discuss appropriate issues for their areas.
Rachel Hopkins
Lab
Luton South and South Bedfordshire
Question
Privatisation has led to the break-up of not just track and train but infrastructure, such as at Luton station. I am thankful that the rail Minister visited and has seen it for himself. He knows that I am very passionate about standing up for my constituents, and we will soon get our lifts installed. The leaks in the roof have impacted a small local business—the café—and commuters cannot get their cup of tea in the morning. Despite that, the small business moved back in, with the leaking roof, in order to survive. Will the Secretary of State please press upon Network Rail to at least fix the leaks in the roof at the station, if nothing else?
Minister reply
My hon. Friend the rail Minister visited that station and that very café. As the hon. Lady knows, we are keen to make sure that we fix the roof while the sun is shining. I will talk to the rail Minister and see if we can make progress to ensure that the station is in an appropriate state for her and her constituents.
Jon Trickett
Lab
Normanton and Hemsworth
Question
My constituents in Yorkshire are brassed off with the fact that public transport is so badly damaged that it is not unavailable. There are 20,000-odd people in my area with no access to a private car, but only 3,000 use public transport. That is because the Government have an ideological drive to privatisation, even though every time those private companies get into trouble the state comes in to support them. It is also because the Government have a pathological hatred of the trade unions. Is it not time that the Government stood aside and made way for a different, better system that serves the public rather than the interests of a particular ideological group in the Tory party?
Minister reply
That question is so far removed from reality I do not know where to start. On the first point, the response to what has happened is that the contract has not been extended. The service has been taken into the operator of last resort because I think it is necessary to reset those relationships.
The hon. Gentleman’s second point about trade unions is fundamentally wrong. When I took this job I decided that it was important to change the tone of the debate. I met all the rail union leaders. I have a perfectly constructive relationship with them. I facilitated fair and reasonable pay offers, which settled the dispute on Network Rail and which was overwhelmingly accepted by members of the RMT.
Shadow Comment
Louise Haigh
Shadow Comment
The Shadow Secretary of State thanked the Minister for his statement and questioned why it took so long to take decisive action against First TransPennine Express's failures, which have been ongoing for years. She highlighted that the operator’s issues predate covid and emphasised that the decision exposes fundamental problems within a privatised rail system. The Labour party called for an immediate plan to address recruitment, training, and rest day working issues as well as steps to end the industrial dispute. Haigh urged the Minister to take leadership and either accept that the current model is failing or bring remaining operators into public ownership to deliver fundamental change.
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