Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Open Access Railway Services

Thursday 13 February 2025 · 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 1 Partly answered 3 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Wendy Morton questioned the Transport Secretary about the contradiction between pushing against open access agreements and supporting the Wrexham to London Euston line.
  • Grahame Morris inquired about the lack of stops for Grand Central services in Sunderland despite poor rail services from Northern Rail.
  • Mark Francois criticized Greater Anglia for demolishing part of Wickford station and failing to meet deadlines for rebuilding, losing confidence in the rail operator.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Wendy Morton Con Aldridge-Brownhills
Transport
Context

The Secretary of State for Transport's recent letter to the Office of Rail and Road appears to push against open access agreements, yet last week the Government signalled its intention to support a request to license the Wrexham to London Euston line. The Labour mayor in Wendy Morton’s constituency has also raided funding for Aldridge train station.

Question

In her recent letter to the Office of Rail and Road, the Transport Secretary appeared to push against open access agreements, yet last week, as she has mentioned today, the Government signalled their intention to support the request to license the Wrexham to London Euston line, which will come through Aldridge in my constituency. Will the Transport Secretary clarify her position on the Wrexham to Euston line, particularly in regard to the inclusion of Aldridge train station? As she will be aware, thanks to the Labour mayor, the funding for that station has been raided and put into his pet projects.

Answer from The Secretary of State for Transport (Heidi Alexander)

I appreciate the right hon. Lady’s commitment to making the case for a new station at Aldridge, but I gently point out to her that in the 14 years of her party’s Government, including her own stint in the Department for Transport, the station failed to materialise. The West Midlands combined authority has had to prioritise the delivery of schemes that are in construction. That seems to me to be a reasonable approach, but I appreciate that she will continue to make the case for her own station.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Did not clarify the position on the Wrexham to Euston line or confirm Aldridge train station inclusion in plans

How: Pointing Out Past Failures Of Opposition

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Q2 Grahame Morris Lab Easington
Transport
Context

Grand Central, an open access operator, runs five daily services from Sunderland to London King's Cross through Grahame Morris' constituency. However, these trains do not stop at stations in Easington. Northern Rail, another operator, provides poor rail services with overcrowded two-carriage trains.

Question

Open access operator Grand Central already runs five services daily from Sunderland to London King’s Cross through my constituency, but unfortunately they currently do not stop. My constituents have endured years of poor rail services from Northern Rail, with just one overcrowded two-carriage train an hour, which is often cancelled or delayed. While I welcome this Government’s investment in 70 new trains for Northern Rail, we need some immediate solutions. Will the Minister urge the ORR to approve the application from Grand Central to allow these trains to stop at stations in my Easington constituency?

Answer from The Secretary of State for Transport (Heidi Alexander)

Open access operators currently account for 1% of our railways, and they do not always have the same public service obligations as other train operating companies. We have always supported open access operators where they genuinely add value and do not divert revenue away from existing operators, all of which are supported by the taxpayer in some form. I would add that we need to make best use of constrained capacity on the rail network. Ensuring that the railway can recover from problems on the railways is also important to me.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Did not explicitly urge ORR to approve application for Grand Central trains to stop at Easington stations

How: Highlighting Constraints And Capacity Issues

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Q3 Mark Francois Con Rayleigh and Wickford
Transport
Context

Greater Anglia demolished half of Wickford station to extend some platforms but has failed to rebuild it after nearly three years, with missed deadlines and broken promises. The questioner seeks a personal meeting with the Rail Minister to resolve this issue.

Question

Talking of access, several years ago, Greater Anglia demolished half of Wickford station to extend some of the platforms. However, after nearly three years of endless excuses, missed deadlines and, frankly, broken promises, it still has not rebuilt it. I regret to say that I have lost all confidence in the senior management of Greater Anglia. If they told me today was a Thursday, I would double-check it. Can I go over their head and ask the Secretary of State for a personal meeting with the Rail Minister so that we can finally get Wickford station rebuilt, despite Greater Anglia, rather than because of it?

Answer from The Secretary of State for Transport (Heidi Alexander)

I will happily ask the Rail Minister to meet the right hon. Gentleman to ensure that progress can be made at Wickford.

Answered
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Q4 Peter Swallow Lab Bracknell
Transport
Context

Go-op will operate a new mandate for return services between Swindon and Taunton, demonstrating the Government's commitment to improving connectivity. The questioner seeks similar improvements in Berkshire.

Question

I know that my right hon. Friend will be delighted by the news that Go-op will be operating a new mandate for return services between Swindon and Taunton. Does she agree that this demonstrates the Government’s commitment to improving connectivity across the country? Can we hope for such improvements to connectivity in my little corner of the world in Berkshire?

Answer from The Secretary of State for Transport (Heidi Alexander)

I am pleased that my hon. Friend has raised this proposal, which demonstrates the pragmatic approach we take to open access operators. Go-op will be the first co-operatively owned train service running anywhere in the UK. If there are any investors out there thinking about investing in that service, I encourage them to look closely at it.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Did not confirm similar improvements for Berkshire

How: Highlighting Positive Aspects Of Go-Op Services

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