Written questions by Holden.

Whether the GPS based pay as you go trial between Sheffield and Barnsley has commenced.

Three Digital Pay As You Go (DPAYG) trials have successfully launched across the North and Midlands. The final trial, originally due to go live in November 2025, has been delayed. During rigorous pre-launch testing, issues were identified that would have prevented the DPAYG application from functioning as intended for participants. To ensure the trial delivers the best possible passenger experience and provides robust data for evaluation, the decision was taken to postpone the launch until these issues were resolved. We continue to work closely with Northern and the supplier to address the problems and launch as soon as possible. Northern will provide an update to participants in the respective trial in due course.

How many and what proportion of journeys on Greater Anglia services are within scope of pay as you go ticketing.

Greater Anglia has advised that as of the beginning of December 2025, Pay As You Go (PAYG) journeys on Greater Anglia services were 18 million per annum, accounting for 21 per cent of total Greater Anglia journeys. There are plans to further expand PAYG for journeys on Greater Anglia in the coming year.

What funding has been allocated to onboard WiFi and catering on TransPennine Express services in the last 12 months.

In the 2025-26 operating year, TransPennine Express has enhanced its catering, recruiting additional staff and supporting local small suppliers. These changes have led to improved customer satisfaction and additional ticket and catering revenue. Net catering costs for 2025-26 are £5.4 million. All TransPennine Express services offer customers free Wi-Fi. The cost of providing this in 2025-26 is £0.6 million.

Whether AI powered disruption updates are in use on LNER services.

This project is currently in development. LNER is working to introduce instant updates during disruption, powered by AI, to keep passengers informed and in control when travelling. This will enable faster, smarter decision-making, reduce delays, and help services recover more quickly, with delivery planned for later in 2026.

How many passenger information screens have been replaced at LNER managed stations in the last 12 months.

Fifty screens have been replaced in the last 12 months at York and Newcastle stations. This forms part of LNER’s wider programme to enhance passenger information across all managed stations.

Whether the Railways Bill will include a statutory target for passenger growth.

The Railways Bill was published on 5 November and will be debated at Committee stage later this month. GBR, as a passenger operator, will be incentivised to grow passenger numbers and will have a number of legal duties to support this. This includes duties to promote the interests of users, and potential users, and to maintain high standards of rail performance.

Whether the modernised training programme for LNER frontline staff has been completed.

This project is currently underway. London North Eastern Railway is modernising frontline training to ensure every passenger receives a consistently helpful and informed service. The programme will be completed by March 2026 and will include continuous refreshers delivered through modern learning methods.

What the cancellation rate on Northern services has been in each month since June 2024.

Information on train cancellations and punctuality is published by the Office of Rail and Road (ORR). It is published quarterly and by rail periods. Cancellations Data Periodic data on trains cancelled by operator can be found in ORR Table 3124 - Trains planned and cancellations by operator (periodic): Table 3124 - Trains planned and cancellations by operator (periodic) | ORR Data Portal

What steps she is taking to support modal shift to lower emissions from the transport sector.

The Government is supporting people to make more sustainable travel choices by improving public transport services and active travel infrastructure deployment. The Bus Services Act 2025 puts the power over local bus services back in the hands of local leaders and is intended to ensure bus services reflect the needs of communities. The Government has reaffirmed its commitment to investing in bus services by confirming over £3 billion from 2026/27 over the rest of the spending review period to support local leaders and bus operators across the country to improve bus services for millions of passengers. For active travel, we are allocating £626 million up to 2030 for local authorities to deliver walking and cycling schemes, and we will be publishing the third Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy in the spring. To incentivise the shift of freight away from more polluting modes, the Mode Shift Revenue Support grant continues to encourage the movement of freight by rail or inland waterway instead of road, where journeys by rail or inland waterway would otherwise be more expensive.

What progress her Department has made on standardising signage for national and local cycle routes; and whether she plans to introduce a national approach to cycle route signage.

Signing for national and local cycle routes has been standardised since 1981. Current signs are prescribed in the Traffic Signs Regulations and General Directions 2016. Active Travel England routinely checks signage quality on their route check tool, to make sure the use of signs is consistent.

By what a) number and b) proportion station staffing levels have changed on TransPennine Express services since 4 July 2024.

The increases over 2024/25 were mainly to fill vacancies that had been paused pending the previous Government’s proposals for the closure of ticket offices, which they reversed after significant public criticism. In mid-2024, TransPennine Express gradually increased the Hull station headcount by an additional four full-time employees to support station resilience. It has increased overall station staffing by a further 19 full-time employees to improve reliability and resilience of the delivery of passenger assistance and other customer services (e.g. retailing); many of these roles are currently being recruited into.

What steps she is taking to ensure that funding for bus services results in improved (a) passenger outcomes, (b) service frequency, (c) reliability and (d) bus stops.

On 5 December 2025, the Government confirmed investment of over £3 billion from 2026/27 for the rest of the spending review period to support local leaders and bus operators across the country to improve bus services for millions of passengers. This includes multi-year allocations for local authorities under the Local Authority Bus Grant (LABG) totalling nearly £700 million per year, ending the short-term approach to bus funding and giving councils the certainty they need to plan ahead. While local leaders have the freedom to use LABG funding as they see fit to deliver local priorities, LABG funding will be linked to an Outcomes Framework, which will track the impact of funding against indicators aligned with the issues that matter most to passengers, including for example punctuality and reliability. This framework will help the Department for Transport to identify where local transport authorities may need additional support to deliver the improvements their communities expect.

Whether she plans to introduce legislation to permit the use of side road zebra crossings in England; and what assessment her Department has made of the safety and cost-effectiveness of those crossings.

The Department is considering options for future legislative change to permit the use of side road zebra crossings in England, but no decisions have yet been made. An amendment to the Traffic Signs Regulations and General Directions 2016 (TSRGD) would be required to permit zebra crossings to be placed without zig-zag lines or yellow globes. The Department has been working with Active Travel England who have been carrying out further research, including on safety, to inform good practice advice to support possible future legislative change.

How many Greater Anglia trains have been fitted with advanced monitoring equipment.

Greater Anglia has fitted two units with infrastructure monitoring equipment. Some technology is cloud-based and is therefore not fitted ‘per train’. For example, existing CCTV footage can be analysed by AI to identify overgrown vegetation. There are plans to fit further systems to the fleet throughout 2026.

Whether contracts for new rolling stock for Northern are expected to be signed in 2027.

It is anticipated that Northern’s new rolling stock contract could be signed in 2027, subject to the completion of Northern’s current live procurement.

How many Northern trains have had sanding systems upgraded in each month since January 2024.

The number of Northern trains that have had sanding systems upgraded in each month since January 2024 is set out in the table below. Jan-247Feb-2421Mar-2465Apr-24116May-2420Jun-245Jul-247Aug-2474Sep-2468Oct-2421Nov-241Dec-241Jan-250Feb-251Mar-253Apr-250May-258Jun-2514Jul-2543Aug-2558Sep-2559Oct-2540Nov-2540Dec-2523 Figures up to 31 December 2025

What the expected completion date is for Southeastern’s rolling stock procurement process.

The Southeastern rolling stock procurement is currently live and is subject to evaluation and all necessary governance for approvals. We are unable to confirm exact timescales due to the confidential nature of the live procurement, but subject to business case approval, it is anticipated that the contract award will be in 2026. Southeastern will keep all stakeholders informed as this progresses.

What discussions her Department has had with Basildon Borough Council on the (a) proposed 27,000 home increase in the Borough and (b) potential impact of that increase on demand for C2C and Greater Anglia services.

We expect operators to work with local stakeholders, including local councils such as Basildon Borough Council, in relation to housing developments and their potential increase on demand for rail services. Estimates of future demand are being used to inform strategic planning across the Essex Thameside area, with collaboration across operators, Network Rail and local stakeholders such as councils.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of the British Transport Police’s crime-screening policy for pedal-cycle theft at railway stations on (a) public confidence in policing and (b) the delivery of a joined-up national transport network.

Ensuring the railway remains safe for passengers and staff, and creating a hostile environment for criminals on the network is a priority for both the Department for Transport and the British Transport Police (BTP). Decisions on the use of resource and deployment of officers across the railway are for the BTP, as an operationally independent police service. The BTP’s screening policy, introduced in August 2024, takes into account factors including the possible time window an incident could have taken place in, but also the availability of witnesses and CCTV, the realistic prospect of a successful outcome, and a range of other factors. In some instances this may mean that an investigation is not progressed, but there is no blanket ruling and each case is assessed individually. BTP have not taken the decision to stop investigating bike theft that cannot be narrowed to a two-hour window. BTP work closely with train operating companies and their counterparts in Home Office forces to run events at stations across the network, which provide practical crime prevention advice and services such as free bike marking to passengers. There was a 23% decrease in cycle theft recorded between 2022/23 and 2024/25.

What the planned completion date is for the Barking station upgrade being delivered by c2c.

The estimated completion date for the Barking station upgrade is autumn 2026. The right-hand side gateline and lift are now complete and open to the public.