Written questions by Mullan.

If she will take steps to ensure engagement with (a) the public and (b) campaign groups on decisions on transportation projects that have been (i) halted or (ii) altered due to the cancellation of the Restoring Your Railway programme.

Aside from Restoring Your Railways (RYR) projects currently at the delivery stage or in construction, all remaining RYR-originated projects are now being considered as part of preparations for the Spending Review. Ministers have been clear that not all projects will be able to proceed to delivery due to the challenging financial situation facing the Department.

What (a) the criteria for assessment and (b) her Department's planned timeline is for the review of individual Restoring Your Railways projects.

Aside from Restoring Your Railways (RYR) projects currently at the delivery stage or in construction, all remaining RYR-originated projects are now being considered as part of preparations for the Spending Review. Ministers have been clear that not all projects will be able to proceed to delivery due to the challenging financial situation facing the Department.

What steps she plans to take to ensure that there is a smooth transition from private to public rail operators.

The responsibility for the transfers from the private to the public sectors lies with DfT OLR Holdings Ltd (DOHL). DOHL is tasked with undertaking these transfers in an efficient and effective manner with no disruption to passengers and employees. The Board has a strong mix of skills, expertise and experience in the rail industry that covers safety, rail franchising, finance and management accounting, project change, project management and contracts. DOHL has managed four successful transfers so far and is scaling up to ensure the successful transfer of all train operating companies into public ownership.The Department will continue to work with DOHL and ensure that it has sufficient capacity to take on train operating companies and manage effectively the train operating companies currently under its control as we work towards Great British Railways. DOHL is already well versed in building up specialist capacity quickly in response to a need to transfer operations to the public sector at pace. Significant work is already underway by DOHL to bring in additional capacity and expertise. We are meeting regularly with DOHL to obtain assurances that it is scaling up appropriately to meet the opportunities and challenges of public ownership and operation.

How she plans to manage the capacity of DfT OLR Holdings Limited to absorb additional rail franchises; and what steps she is taking to expand its capabilities.

The responsibility for the transfers from the private to the public sectors lies with DfT OLR Holdings Ltd (DOHL). DOHL is tasked with undertaking these transfers in an efficient and effective manner with no disruption to passengers and employees. The Board has a strong mix of skills, expertise and experience in the rail industry that covers safety, rail franchising, finance and management accounting, project change, project management and contracts. DOHL has managed four successful transfers so far and is scaling up to ensure the successful transfer of all train operating companies into public ownership.The Department will continue to work with DOHL and ensure that it has sufficient capacity to take on train operating companies and manage effectively the train operating companies currently under its control as we work towards Great British Railways. DOHL is already well versed in building up specialist capacity quickly in response to a need to transfer operations to the public sector at pace. Significant work is already underway by DOHL to bring in additional capacity and expertise. We are meeting regularly with DOHL to obtain assurances that it is scaling up appropriately to meet the opportunities and challenges of public ownership and operation.

Whether any rail operators will be brought into public ownership before their contract expires.

The Passenger Railway Services (Public Ownership) Bill facilitates the Government’s commitment to bring passenger train operations into public ownership and enables the Secretary of State to commence the transition to public sector operation as current contracts reach their end date or contractual break point. This approach ensures that taxpayers will not need to compensate operating companies for ending contracts early. The Bill does not exclude the possibility of terminating a contract before it expires if the train operating company defaults on its obligations, as set out in its respective National Rail Contract. National Rail Contracts are publicly available and can be accessed through the ‘Public register of rail passenger contracts’.

What steps she plans to take to help ensure that public railway operators achieve passenger growth.

We are committed to delivering a unified and simplified rail system that focuses on improved services for passengers and better value for taxpayers, ending years of fragmentation and waste. We will establish Great British Railways as the directing mind in charge of Britain’s railway infrastructure and services, responsible for ensuring both work together. We will also bring passenger services into public ownership, in the pursuit of a more efficient and passenger-focused rail system. In the interim, while National Rail Contracts (NRCs) remain in place, we will set stretching performance targets for each operator through the annual business planning process. These targets will be specific to each operator, reflecting their individual circumstances. Where performance falls short, we will require operators to put in place robust improvement plans. The Secretary of State has already met a number of poorly performing train operators and their Network Rail counterparts, setting clear expectations for immediate improvement.

What steps she is taking to ensure that the costs associated with the establishment of Great British Railways remain within budget.

The King’s Speech set out that we will be introducing legislation to establish Great British Railways (GBR) in this Parliamentary session.The Rail Sector Transformation Programme Board will hold to account those responsible for implementing reforms and will oversee the planned savings and track incurred costs. We are applying lessons from recent National Audit Office, Public Accounts Committee and Infrastructure and Projects Authority reports, including ensuring there is effective governance and clear accountabilities.

What steps she is taking to help mitigate the impact of the cancellation of the Restoring Your Railway programme on (a) regional connectivity and (b) economic development.

Aside from Restoring Your Railway (RYR) projects currently at the delivery stage or in construction, all remaining RYR-originated projects are now being considered as part of preparations for the Spending Review. Ministers have been clear that not all projects will be able to proceed to delivery due to the challenging financial situation facing the Department.