Written questions by Holden.

With reference to the press notice entitled Great British Railways in action – passengers benefit from track and train being united on South Eastern Railway, published on 18 June 2025, how many times the South Eastern Railway leadership team has met 17 June 2025.

In June this year, the South Eastern Railway - a single integrated leadership team with accountability for track and train – was formally launched. Since then, members of this team have met both formally and informally on a daily basis.

With reference to the announcement of 13 June 2025 on the installation of over 100,000 new local electric vehicle chargepoints in England, what her planned timetable is for this; and how many have been installed to date.

The Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (LEVI) Fund has allocated capital and resource funding to local authorities across England, to ensure public chargepoint rollout improves significantly across the country. In total, the LEVI Fund will support the installation of at least 100,000 chargepoints across England. The majority of LEVI projects have now been approved to go to delivery, the first contracts have been signed between local authorities and chargepoint operators, and the first projects have now started to install chargepoints. Installation rates will increase as more projects enter delivery, with installation expected to continue over the coming years.

What steps her Department is taking to (a) mitigate the impact of repeated (i) over-running engineering works and (ii) cancellations on the c2c network and (b) ensure that passengers using (A) season tickets and (B) workplace travel schemes are able to access compensation when services are disrupted.

The Department expects c2c to collaborate closely with Network Rail to minimise the impact of any over-running engineering works. In relation to cancellations, the Department holds train operating companies, including c2c, to account on their performance against targets including through regular meetings and periodic reporting. Integration across track and train is being progressed in the Anglia region; this will ensure that all parts of the system are pulling together to deliver a better and more efficient service for customers. Where passengers purchase a season ticket and experience delays, they can claim delay repay from the relevant train operating company directly. If they are travelling as part of a workplace travel scheme, passengers will have to check with their employer what compensation they can claim for.

With reference to the press notice entitled On track and online: landmark deal to end mobile dead zones, published on 25 June 2025, what progress her Department has made on Project Reach; and whether her Department plans to eliminate mobile signal blackspots on the rail network from spring 2026 through the rollout of Project Reach.

The initial scope of project Reach is for mobile coverage improvements in the major stations and a number of tunnels and cuttings on the main lines only. Internal team mobilisation has progressed, and Network Rail have also down selected the design and build contractors to undertake the physical works that are due to start early in 2026.Agreements are also progressing on finalising prioritisation order with the public mobile operators.

What plans her Department has for the number of staff working for Great British Rail in each of the next 10 years; and over what time frame they will be hired.

GBR will be established as a new arms-length body bringing together responsibilities currently split over more than 17 different organisations. While details on exact roles are subject to further design work, GBR will rely on colleagues from across the railway to continue the important work they do each day in delivering for passengers. We will continue to engage with the industry on our plans for GBR.

With reference to the press notice entitled East West Rail services planned to begin this year as Chiltern Railways named operator, published on 25 March 2025, when she expects (a) passenger services between Oxford and Milton Keynes to begin, (b) the new station at Winslow to open, (c) the works to upgrade Bletchley station to be completed and (d) services to (i) Bedford and (ii) Cambridge to be extended.

The Department is working closely with Chiltern Railways and other partners to confirm a start date for the service. We are looking forward to commencing services as soon as all necessary authorisations and agreements are in place. Passenger services, including services to Winslow, will commence once train testing and driver training have been completed. Work on an additional high-level platform at Bletchley is now complete. Services between Oxford to Bedford via the Marston Vale Line will commence from 2030 with the full Oxford to Cambridge services beginning in the mid 2030s.

Whether her Department plans to introduce (a) a similar scheme to the Great British Rail Sale of April 2022 and (b) other national discounted ticketing initiatives when Great British Railways assumes full responsibility for timetabling and ticketing.

GBR will be empowered to deliver industry-wide modernisation and reform of the complex and fragmented fares landscape inherited from privatisation. This will enable GBR to simplify the ticketing system and make it easy for passengers to find the right fare. GBR will also continue to offer certain discounts, like railcards, with specific discount cards targeted at groups for which cost is more likely to be a barrier to rail travel – young people, older people and disabled people – being further safeguarded in legislation, as they have been since the Railways Act 1993. There have been two additional network-wide Rail Sales since April 2022, including our Rail Sale at the beginning of this year to celebrate the 200th anniversary of passenger rail. No decisions have been taken on future network-wide rail sales.

Pursuant to her Department’s press release entitled £120 million to roll-out more electric vans, taxis and motorbikes, published on 25 February 2025, what estimate she has made of the annual number of motorbikes manufactured in the UK; and what estimate she has made of the proportion of the £120 million that will support (a) UK-manufactured motorbikes and (b) motorbikes manufactured overseas.

The Department for Transport does not collect data on the number of motorbikes manufactured in the UK. The £120 million of funding announced at the Autumn Budget 2023 enabled the continuation of the Plug-in Motorcycle Grant, offering grants of £500 for qualifying zero emission motorcycles, with British brands such as Maeving continuing to be a popular choice under the scheme.

With reference to the press notice entitled Simpler train travel for the South East as contactless ticketing rolls out at 47 more stations, published on 20 January 2025, how many and what proportion of the 49 stations announced for rollout in 2025 had contactless introduced by 10 October 2025; what her Department's timetable is for introducing contactless in the remaining stations; and what plans her Department has to extend contactless ticketing (a) beyond the South East and (b) in (i) Greater Manchester and (ii) the West Midlands.

We have committed to expanding Pay As You Go (PAYG) with contactless ticketing to further stations in the Southeast, with an additional 49 stations to be rolled out by the end of this year. Ministers will be making an announcement on delivery soon. Additionally, we have announced plans to launch PAYG in both Manchester and the West Midlands, expanding PAYG to more than 90 additional rail stations in 2026. Any further announcement on wider expansion beyond this, as well as an update on delivery timings, will be provided in due course.

With reference to the press notice entitled New dawn for rail as South Western services return to public hands, published on 25 May 2025, on what evidential basis her Department calculated that public ownership of railways would save £150 million from the public purse; and if she will publish (a) the categories of fees that are no longer payable and (b) the estimated value of each fee category.

Private sector train operating companies are paid fixed and performance-based fees are set out in their National Rail Contracts with the Department. Operations are being transferred into public ownership as their National Rail Contract expire, meaning these fees will no longer be applicable once services have transferred. This saving is estimated to be up to £150million per annum once all franchised contracts have expired, with a proportion of these savings achieved each year in the interim as individual operators’ services transfer.

With reference to the press notice entitled Transport Secretary forges landmark deal to progress new Swiss rail link, published on 9 May 2025, how many meetings of the joint UK–Swiss working group have been held as of 10 October 2025; what the cost to the public purse was for those meetings; how many staff hours have been spent on the development of the Memorandum of Understanding; how many (a) staff meetings and (b) meetings with her Swiss counterparts have been held in relation to the development of the Memorandum of Understanding.

The landmark agreement signed with Switzerland earlier this year established a UK–Swiss Working Group which could pave the way for direct commercial services between the UK and Switzerland in future. As of 10 October 2025, one meeting of the joint UK–Swiss Working Group has been held. This took place in the UK on 16 September 2025. The costs of hosting this working group, excluding staff time, are estimated to be less than £800. The next working group meeting will be planned for the first quarter of 2026.Whilst it is not possible to quantify the number of staff hours dedicated to developing the Memorandum of Understanding, officials have held a number of internal meetings and discussions with Swiss counterparts to support its development.

What recent assessment she has made of the resilience of Britain’s rail network to prolonged periods of dry weather, in the context of ongoing speed restrictions and service reductions on routes including the West of England line; and what steps her Department is taking to ensure (a) embankments and (b) track infrastructure are properly maintained to avoid repeated disruption to passengers.

The resilience of Britain’s rail network to severe weather is managed through Network Rail’s Control Period 7 regional weather resilience and climate change adaptation plans. Through the period we will invest £2.8 billion in improving the resilience of their assets to extreme weather (including dry weather) and in development of long-term climate change adaptation pathways. Extended periods of dry weather made some clay embankments unstable on some rail routes including in Westen England. In this region the driest spring since 1836, followed by the driest summer in 200 years, resulted in a severe soil moisture deficit. To manage these conditions safely Network Rail worked with train operators, including South Western Railway, to implement speed restrictions and make some service alterations as a result. Network Rail and South Western Railway continue to monitor soil moisture levels, track conditions, and train performance, and provide regular updates to the Department. Services will be reinstated as soon as it is safe to do so. Most railway embankments in western/southern England are built on clay soil, which normally contains moisture. However, heat radiation and moisture absorption by lineside vegetation and trees have removed much of this moisture. Temporary speed restrictions, which cause extended journey times, are one of the ways in which services can continue to run safely.

How much funding her Department has allocated to (a) road maintenance and (b) pothole repairs in each year since 2022; and what the total amount is allocated over that period.

The Department has allocated approximately £8 billion for local highways maintenance in England over the period 2021/22 to 2025/26.This includes a range of funding sources including the Highways Maintenance Block, the Integrated Transport Block, Potholes Funding, Network North, the Local Transport Grant, and highways funding that has been consolidated into City Region Sustainable Transport Settlements (CRSTS).The figure is exclusive of baseline highways maintenance funding and Integrated Transport Block funding that has been consolidated into CRSTS funding for 2025/26. The Department has not split out how much of this funding is for highways maintenance as, by the nature of the funding, it is consolidated transport funding for local authorities to decide how best to use.The £226 million Local Transport Grant of 2025/26 is for local transport and maintenance more widely. Integrated Transport Block funding is for local transport maintenance and enhancements.The above figure also includes the £500m funding uplift for local highways maintenance in 2025/26 that the Government announced at the Autumn Budget 2024.Further information on these funding streams is available online, at:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/highways-maintenance-funding-allocationshttps://www.gov.uk/government/publications/local-transport-grant-allocations/local-transport-grant-ltg-allocations-2025-to-2026.

Pursuant to the Answer of 8 September 2025 to Question 71255 on Restoring your railway fund, if she will publish a copy of the (a) environmental principles assessment and (b) public sector equality duty assessment relating to the cancellation of the Restoring Your Railway fund.

The decision to close the Restoring Your Railway fund was taken in the context of a wider review of Public Spending by the Chancellor, where she confirmed the steps the Government was taking to address the pressures on the public finances by cancelling unfunded policy announcements made by the previous government. No environmental principles assessment or public sector equality duty assessment was made by my Department on the specific element of the decision to close the Restoring Your Railway fund. My Department has due regard for Public Sector Equality Duty and Environmental Principles as decisions are taken about progressing projects and these will also have been considered by HM Treasury in the review of Public Spending, as my Right Honourable Friend’s previous response indicated.

Pursuant to the Answer of 18 June 2025 to Question 59359 on Motorcycles: Bus Lanes, how many respondents responded to the consultation on allowing motorcycles to access bus lanes by default; and what number of respondents were (a) for and (b) against.

This information is contained in the ‘Motorcycles in bus lanes consultation outcome’ published on 21 November 2024 and available here: Motorcycles in bus lanes consultation outcome - GOV.UK .

What assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of industrial action by train guards on passengers.

The Department regrets the impact any industrial action by guards may have on passengers. The Department works with its contracted train operators to minimise the impact of any industrial action and encourages them and the trade unions to resolve matters, through discussion, as quickly as possible.

Pursuant to the Answer of 8 September 2025 to Question 71258 on Road Traffic Control: Oxford, whether (a) Oxfordshire County Council and (b) Oxford City Council have made enquiries to DVLA to access vehicle registration data for the purposes of (i) congestion charging and (ii) traffic filters.

In line with the relevant legislation, the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) provides vehicle information to Oxfordshire County Council for a number of specified purposes. These include management of the zero emission zones scheme and moving traffic offences. The data sharing contract governing requests for vehicle information relating to local authority schemes in Oxford is between the DVLA and Oxfordshire County Council.

Pursuant to the Answer of 8 September 2025 to Question 71253 on Railways: Facilities Agreements, if she will publish a copy of the extant facility time agreements in place for (a) her Department, (b) Great British Railways and (c) DfT Operator Limited.

In rail, facility time agreements are between individual train operating companies or Network Rail and the trade unions (TUs), not between the Department for Transport or DfT Operator Limited and the TUs. Great British Railways has not yet been established so has no facility time agreements.

Pursuant to the Answer of 8 September 2025 to Question 71238 on Buses and Large Goods Vehicles: Licensing, for what reason the consultation response has been delayed.

The previous government did not publish a response to its consultation before it left office.This government is now working closely with operators to obtain further evidence and will then consider next steps.

Pursuant to the Answer of 8 September 2025 to Question 71264 on Driving under Influence, whether she has made an assessment of the potential impact of the lower limit in Scotland on the economic viability of pubs in Scotland.

The power to set the drink drive limit in Scotland is devolved to the Scottish Government. The Department of Transport has not made an assessment of the impact on the economic viability of pubs in Scotland.