Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Old Oak Common Station Construction: South-west Travel Disruption

Thursday 10 October 2024 · 4 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 3 Partly answered 1 Not answered 0

Key points

  • My Department is working with the rail industry to minimise disruption during the construction of Old Oak Common station, including through a 30 million investment in mitigations that will allow services to continue to operate during the disruption.
  • I am grateful to my hon. Friend for rightly raising these issues. I will be delighted to meet her to discuss the mitigations. Efforts will be made to minimise the impact on passengers, including trains terminating at either Ealing Broadway or Reading.
  • I fully appreciate the implications of Network Rail engineering works, and the construction and maintenance of level crossings in particular. I will happily pass on the hon. Member's request for a meeting to the Minister for Rail in the other place.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Jayne Kirkham Labour (Co-op) Truro and Falmouth
Transport
Context

Construction of Old Oak Common station will cause significant disruption to rail passengers travelling to the south-west, a situation that has raised concerns among local MPs.

Question

What steps she is taking to help mitigate disruption to rail passengers travelling to the south-west when construction of Old Oak Common station begins?

Answer from Louise Haigh

My Department is working with the rail industry to minimise disruption during the construction of Old Oak Common station, including through a £30 million investment in mitigations that will allow services to continue to operate during the disruption.

Answered
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Q2 Jayne Kirkham Labour (Co-op) Truro and Falmouth
Transport
Context

The railway infrastructure in the south-west faces issues of speed, reliability, and cost. Concerns are raised about the impact of HS2 station construction on future rail services.

Question

Our railway in the south-west is too slow, too fragile and too expensive. Does the Transport Secretary agree with me and colleagues across Cornwall, the south-west and Wales that this new HS2 station will mean slower and more disrupted journeys? Will she meet me and a delegation of south-west MPs to discuss mitigation of the legacy she has inherited from the last Government to ensure that the south-west does not suffer now and in the future because of that disruption?

Answer from Louise Haigh

I am grateful to my hon. Friend for rightly raising these issues. I will be delighted to meet her to discuss the mitigations. Efforts will be made to minimise the impact on passengers, including trains terminating at either Ealing Broadway or Reading.

Answered
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Q3 Ben Spencer Con Runnymede and Weybridge
Transport
Context

Traffic delays at level crossings in Egham, Addlestone and Chertsey are a concern for local residents. Engineering works further exacerbate these issues.

Question

Traffic delays at level crossings in Egham, Addlestone and Chertsey are punishing my constituents, and engineering works and diversion routes just make that worse. Will the Secretary of State meet me to discuss how we can mitigate and improve our level crossings, especially during these engineering works?

Answer from Louise Haigh

I fully appreciate the implications of Network Rail engineering works, and the construction and maintenance of level crossings in particular. I will happily pass on the hon. Member's request for a meeting to the Minister for Rail in the other place.

Answered
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Q4 Kieran Mullan Con Bexhill and Battle
Transport
Context

The reliability of train services has been impacted by disputes over working practices, including annual leave and weekend working. A weak negotiating position with ASLEF and RMT unions is a concern.

Question

One of the ways in which we could improve the reliability of all our train services is through reform of working practices such as annual leave and weekend working. Agreeing a no-strings deal with ASLEF forced the Secretary of State into agreeing a no-strings deal with the RMT. How does she plan to recover from such a weak negotiating position for future rounds? What progress has she made on proposals—our proposals, I should say—for a pay review body for public rail workers?

Answer from Louise Haigh

The two-year industrial dispute cost the taxpayer £25 million a day every time the Tories oversaw a strike day. The reforms that they pursued cost taxpayers hundreds of millions of pounds. We have since settled the national pay dispute and localised disputes on London North Eastern Railway and CrossCountry, leading to improved passenger services across the country.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Plan for improving negotiating stance not provided

How: Criticising Previous Government'S Handling Of Negotiations

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