Context
A constituent received delay repay compensation for five out of six journeys over a two-month period, raising concerns about service reliability.
Question
My constituents have raised concerns about the reliability of services on the east coast main line. A constituent has received delay repay compensation for five out of six journeys he took over a two-month period. I welcome the correspondence I have had with the Rail Minister on the action that the Department for Transport is taking with rail partners, including through the east coast digital programme. Will my hon. Friend confirm that the first trains utilising new digital signalling technology will be on the tracks by the end of the year? When does she expect passengers to feel the full benefit of this welcome upgrade?
Answer from The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transport (Lilian Greenwood)
The east coast digital programme is delivering digital signalling on 100 miles of the east coast main line. The technology will deliver an inherent improvement to service reliability and uplift performance and capacity across the line, including for my hon. Friend’s constituents. The first trains are forecast to start running under digital signalling from early 2026. The number of services running under digital signalling will increase until the full programme is expected to be complete in the early 2030s.
Not addressed: Did not confirm if first trains with digital signalling technology would be operational by the end of 2023 as requested, instead providing a forecast for early 2026 and completion timeline in the early 2030s.
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