:00:00. > :00:08.committee. I think this show will run on.
:00:09. > :00:16.Probably for some years... Order. Urgent questions to Andy McDonald.
:00:17. > :00:19.To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a
:00:20. > :00:22.statement on the Government's plans for train operating companies to
:00:23. > :00:27.take responsibility for track and infrastructure for Network Rail.
:00:28. > :00:36.The Secretary of State for Transport...
:00:37. > :00:40.Mr Speaker, he clearly misunderstood my plan. Let me explain. This
:00:41. > :00:45.morning, a written miss ministerial statement in both libraries of this
:00:46. > :00:48.House, my vision for reforming the railways to put passengers at the
:00:49. > :00:54.heart. Providing better, more reliable journeys. We have seen
:00:55. > :00:58.substantial growth in passenger numbers since privatisation but this
:00:59. > :01:01.growth brings challenges and impact and disruption could be immediate
:01:02. > :01:05.significant and wide-ranging. Our railways need to adapt and change in
:01:06. > :01:08.order to be able to cope with this huge expansion in the number of
:01:09. > :01:14.passengers. We spend very large amount of money trying to tackle the
:01:15. > :01:16.challenge, with new and longer trains add more capacity, big
:01:17. > :01:22.projects like Crossrail and small projects locally. Earlier this year,
:01:23. > :01:26.it was recommended Network Rail devolve responsibility to the roots
:01:27. > :01:30.level. I report the principles of the sure report and the reform
:01:31. > :01:34.programme but there is more to do. I intend to press ahead with Sir Roy
:01:35. > :01:38.McNulty's recommendations on how to make the railways run better and
:01:39. > :01:41.more cost-effective. I will do this at an operational level initially,
:01:42. > :01:48.so all involved will be incentivised to deliver the best service for
:01:49. > :01:51.passengers. I expect new franchises starting with south-eastern midlands
:01:52. > :01:53.who have integrated operating teams between train services and
:01:54. > :01:57.infrastructure working together in the interest of the passenger. I
:01:58. > :01:59.will be inviting transport for London and Kent County Council to be
:02:00. > :02:06.more closely involved in developing the next South-eastern franchise by
:02:07. > :02:10.embedding their own operatives in the franchise to develop and monitor
:02:11. > :02:14.it. We continue to develop the model for track and trade as for the
:02:15. > :02:19.franchises are renewed including the of joint ventures. We will also
:02:20. > :02:21.publish an update of the rail franchising is schedule I am placing
:02:22. > :02:27.in the libraries of this house. I also bring new skills into the
:02:28. > :02:30.challenge of upgrading our railways, or I want to. I will look at the
:02:31. > :02:38.reopening of the link between Oxford and Cambridge. East - West rail will
:02:39. > :02:42.be a new and separate organisation. We are to secure private sector
:02:43. > :02:45.involvement to design and operate the route in an integrated way. This
:02:46. > :02:48.will be established earlier in the New Year and cheered when the former
:02:49. > :02:53.chief executive of Chilton rail, Lord Brickhouse. This will set the
:02:54. > :02:57.railway on a firmer footing for the future. We will make sure that we
:02:58. > :03:00.play our part in making this country a country that works for everyone. I
:03:01. > :03:04.will bring forward a new strategy for our railways with more detail
:03:05. > :03:09.than what I'm setting out today in due course.
:03:10. > :03:13.Hear, hear. Mr Andy McDonald.
:03:14. > :03:17.Private Company 's will only engage with the Secretary of State's plans
:03:18. > :03:20.that they believe they can extract further value from British Railways
:03:21. > :03:25.at the expense of taxpayers and commuters. This is poor value for
:03:26. > :03:28.the public and risks come promoting on safety. The last time the Tories
:03:29. > :03:32.privatised rail tracks, there were a series of fatal accidents leading to
:03:33. > :03:35.the creation of Network Rail in the first place. Now the secretary of
:03:36. > :03:40.State wants to start on the slippery slope back to the bad old days of
:03:41. > :03:43.Railtrack where profit chasing companies are entrusted with the
:03:44. > :03:46.safety critical role of being responsible for infrastructure. As
:03:47. > :03:52.the Secretary of State not learned the lessons of Railtrack or is he
:03:53. > :03:55.simply choosing to ignore them and why seeks backing them to be
:03:56. > :04:00.different? Annie explain why his planned integrated operating teams
:04:01. > :04:02.will be different from the alliances between Network Rail and the South
:04:03. > :04:07.West trains, which were abandoned. Or the similar arrangement between
:04:08. > :04:11.Network Rail and ScotRail, which is performing abysmally. What
:04:12. > :04:16.discussions has he had with the regulation? What costings have been
:04:17. > :04:21.done for this programme and has there been a cost benefit analysis?
:04:22. > :04:24.Mr Speaker it is time for our railways to be run by public
:04:25. > :04:28.ownership and in the public ownership as an integrated national
:04:29. > :04:33.asset in public hands with affordable fares and long-term
:04:34. > :04:36.investment. Sadly, today's announcement takes us further away
:04:37. > :04:43.from that than ever. An incoming Labour Government will redress it as
:04:44. > :04:46.a matter of urgency. Unfortunately, there is not an
:04:47. > :04:49.imminent labour Government anyway... The trouble is, with the party
:04:50. > :04:55.opposite, they always want to turn the clock back to the day of British
:04:56. > :04:59.rail and unions having sandwiches and beer in number ten. We want to
:05:00. > :05:03.modernise the railways and make them work better. This isn't about
:05:04. > :05:08.privatisation. I am not privatising Network Rail but creating teams on
:05:09. > :05:11.the ground with the same incentives to work together in the interests of
:05:12. > :05:17.the passenger. An essential part of that he has not spotted is that the
:05:18. > :05:20.recommendations about devolution by Shaw, giving real power to local
:05:21. > :05:23.teams to make decisions without always referring to the centre,
:05:24. > :05:27.makes it possible for alliances to work better than they did in the
:05:28. > :05:30.past. Where there have been alliances, they have made a
:05:31. > :05:35.difference but they could do so much more. Mr Speaker, it is not rocket
:05:36. > :05:43.science. If the trains are here and the tracks are there, there are two
:05:44. > :05:47.separate teams. They do not work together, our railways do not
:05:48. > :05:50.maximise potential. This is about forging tumour on the ground to
:05:51. > :05:54.respond to challenges and plan and deliver a better service and that is
:05:55. > :05:57.what we should all aspire to. Moving the deck chairs around and be
:05:58. > :06:01.nationalising the railways, taking away hundreds of millions of pounds
:06:02. > :06:06.a year of investment by the private sector in new trains would take our
:06:07. > :06:09.railways backwards and make the travelling public worse off, and a
:06:10. > :06:15.sign is always at the Labour Party has not made it into the modern
:06:16. > :06:19.world. I welcome efforts to create greater
:06:20. > :06:22.integration between those who run tracks and trains, but will he
:06:23. > :06:28.acknowledged that a one size fits all model would not be the right
:06:29. > :06:32.one. Certain lines are so heavily used by the operator... That degree
:06:33. > :06:34.of integration is difficult. That is right and it is
:06:35. > :06:38.straightforward in areas where there is a single iteration between
:06:39. > :06:44.Network Rail routes and the train operators. On the West Coast
:06:45. > :06:48.mainline, you have multiple operators so it is not like that. We
:06:49. > :06:51.must protect the interests of freight operators and open access
:06:52. > :06:56.operators. I do not plan to change the fundamental regulatory structure
:06:57. > :06:59.but by forging things together and letting franchises and structuring
:07:00. > :07:02.Network Rail in a way that integrates, over the vast majority
:07:03. > :07:08.of our network we will be able to deliver a day-to-day performance and
:07:09. > :07:11.a more reliable railway. The Secretary of State is right to
:07:12. > :07:18.acknowledge the problems of the rail network but he should not do this to
:07:19. > :07:20.first privatisation. There is higher privatisation and satisfaction in
:07:21. > :07:24.Scotland than any other network in the UK but Scotland could do better.
:07:25. > :07:27.Will he agreed to devolve power over Network Rail to the Scottish
:07:28. > :07:32.Parliament? The point the honourable gentleman
:07:33. > :07:35.has missed is describing progress in Scotland. Scotland is the one place
:07:36. > :07:39.where we have a working alliance of the kind I am talking about. What he
:07:40. > :07:43.describes is a step on the road to the model I want to create across
:07:44. > :07:48.the railway, which he says builds passenger satisfaction. That is why
:07:49. > :07:54.this is the right thing to do. But about privatisation but teamwork to
:07:55. > :07:57.deliver a better passenger service. Although Network Rail does many
:07:58. > :07:59.things well it is often cumbersome and non-responsive to customers.
:08:00. > :08:05.Could my friend rack confirmed the purpose of his virtual operating
:08:06. > :08:10.companies is to bring skilled benefits to the customer both in
:08:11. > :08:14.terms of cost and service? He is right and has long experience.
:08:15. > :08:20.What he will know is that right now the incentives for team members are
:08:21. > :08:22.Network Rail are different to incentives for train operators. The
:08:23. > :08:27.incentives over the whole railway should be to deliberate better jobs
:08:28. > :08:31.for the customer. Part of the process will be aligning incentives
:08:32. > :08:32.so everyone has the right motivation to deliver for the people who matter
:08:33. > :08:42.and that is the customers. A joined up approach could bring
:08:43. > :08:48.benefits and has been called for on many occasions by the transport
:08:49. > :08:52.select committee. In this model but he is advocating, how would safety
:08:53. > :08:57.be protected and could this be the beginning of potentially highly
:08:58. > :09:00.expensive fragmentation of the system?
:09:01. > :09:05.The opposite is the case. This is not about fragmentation, it is about
:09:06. > :09:09.joining up. We have teams on the ground around the railway, something
:09:10. > :09:14.out of the tracks and some the trains and working together well and
:09:15. > :09:18.sometimes not. By creating a structure that shapes teams on the
:09:19. > :09:24.ground and that involves decentralisation, the partnership
:09:25. > :09:28.that has been recommended, that takes us to the place she has talked
:09:29. > :09:35.about on the past. The joined up railway.
:09:36. > :09:39.I congratulate him on to gain this initiative that should've been taken
:09:40. > :09:44.20 years ago. I am delighted that my constituents travelling from east
:09:45. > :09:48.Kent will be among the first to benefit from the cooperation between
:09:49. > :09:52.Railtrack and the operating company. Can you indicate the funding will be
:09:53. > :09:55.available so that the Kent coast line can be brought into the 20th
:09:56. > :09:59.century and preferably into the 21st?
:10:00. > :10:03.One of the things I hope and expect will come from the new franchise
:10:04. > :10:07.bids is the kind of benefit that we have seen in east and clear where
:10:08. > :10:11.every single train on the east Anglia rail network is due to be
:10:12. > :10:14.replaced as part of the franchise. That is the kind of progress that
:10:15. > :10:19.makes a real difference to passengers and I hope and expect to
:10:20. > :10:24.see that improvement across the network and as the two sides work
:10:25. > :10:27.closer together, the ability to deliver smaller improvements more
:10:28. > :10:32.quickly becomes better, more credibly available and began
:10:33. > :10:37.improved services. Isn't this the Minister that has a
:10:38. > :10:45.bit of form? In a previous job he wrecked the prison system and now he
:10:46. > :10:51.has got the job at transport and he is about to cause havoc there as
:10:52. > :10:56.well. Let me surprise the honourable
:10:57. > :10:59.gentleman by saying that I am the minister who decided not to
:11:00. > :11:04.privatise the prison service. The decision described by the prisoners
:11:05. > :11:13.Association as a victory -- prison officers Association. I am an
:11:14. > :11:18.improver of services. Thank you, Mr Speaker. I thank my
:11:19. > :11:22.honourable friend his statement. Very encouraging. Would you not
:11:23. > :11:29.agree that number of operators working with Railtrack going through
:11:30. > :11:33.our constituencies at the moment and we agree with my experience that the
:11:34. > :11:36.number of complaints has dropped as a dramatically as a result. There
:11:37. > :11:42.has been a positive response to requests for changes in services by
:11:43. > :11:46.constituents. That is right. It is the case. I
:11:47. > :11:54.have two real routes through my constituency. We know and understand
:11:55. > :11:57.the issues in southern but I went public meeting recently in my
:11:58. > :12:01.constituency about the service provided by Southwest trains where I
:12:02. > :12:05.found an audience who were broadly full of praise for the operator.
:12:06. > :12:11.This autumn some things have gone wrong on the network but there are a
:12:12. > :12:13.lot of decent, hard-working people on our railway and they have been
:12:14. > :12:20.there for a long time. We should always recognise that.
:12:21. > :12:26.Some of the main causes of delays and problems on the network are a
:12:27. > :12:31.sickener failure, -- signal failure, can he explain what would be
:12:32. > :12:35.different under his proposal is that currently take place now.
:12:36. > :12:42.Let me give him a very specific example. On the south-west chains
:12:43. > :12:46.network ten days ago quite a bad signal failure at lunchtime. I got
:12:47. > :12:50.the train home in the evening and the services back to normal. That is
:12:51. > :12:55.a joined up route with the nearest alliance that we have on the
:12:56. > :12:57.network. I know they very hard together to try and deliver
:12:58. > :13:02.improvements in something goes wrong. That is the example of the
:13:03. > :13:08.kind of benefit you get by having joined up working, rather than
:13:09. > :13:12.waiting several hours. May I welcome the move towards
:13:13. > :13:16.greater integration with the operating teams. Does he share my
:13:17. > :13:20.hope that this might stop the buck passing between train operating
:13:21. > :13:23.companies and Network Rail, something that many of my
:13:24. > :13:28.constituents north of the river on the terms link line have suffered on
:13:29. > :13:31.a daily basis and something I drew to his attention yesterday?
:13:32. > :13:36.He is right. I make no pretence, there are genuine problems on our
:13:37. > :13:43.railways. They are mainly problems of intensive use, dramatic increase
:13:44. > :13:45.in passenger numbers. We do have to deliver change and improvement. That
:13:46. > :13:50.comes through capacity improvements and a lot of money has been spent on
:13:51. > :13:54.the terms link right now. It come through better performance on a
:13:55. > :13:58.day-to-day basis. I will never be afraid to hold real company 's feet
:13:59. > :14:03.to the fire if they do not deliver. At the same time, we need to
:14:04. > :14:06.recognise that many of the problems arise on infrastructure and getting
:14:07. > :14:13.the two to work together to deliver real solutions to those problems.
:14:14. > :14:16.That has to be right way forward. He said he once less contracting
:14:17. > :14:19.complexity and more localised decision-making. Given more power to
:14:20. > :14:23.private train operating companies will create a new an even layer of
:14:24. > :14:32.contracts in the industry. How can you beat the be confident this will
:14:33. > :14:35.not return to the real tragedy is such that happened at Potters bar's
:14:36. > :14:39.I do not think she has been listening to me.
:14:40. > :14:45.I am not talking about complex structures but teamwork on the
:14:46. > :14:49.ground. We'll be started and it makes a difference, like in
:14:50. > :14:52.Scotland. We need to strengthen these alliances and create stronger
:14:53. > :14:58.teamwork on the front line. That is what will make a difference.
:14:59. > :15:04.May I also welcome the announcement very much, quitting the proposal to
:15:05. > :15:10.involve Kent County Council more. DN, day out real computers my
:15:11. > :15:14.constituency have two deal with the trains. The acid managing director
:15:15. > :15:20.of south eastern to write to his boss to explain why he is lead each
:15:21. > :15:23.day. Can I ask him to see more about how these proposals will allow my
:15:24. > :15:29.constituents to get to work on time? It is very much my hope that... I
:15:30. > :15:32.know in the Kent area that has been disruption over the last couple of
:15:33. > :15:36.years because of the improvements on London Bridge. There are lessons
:15:37. > :15:39.that need to be learned to make sure we minimise disruption in the
:15:40. > :15:44.future. We need big investments that will create extra capacity but they
:15:45. > :15:47.have to be done anyway that is on damaging as possible to ongoing
:15:48. > :15:50.services. What I would be saying to hard as I won the new franchise to
:15:51. > :15:56.deliver the best possible improvements to services to Kent and
:15:57. > :16:02.London. It is the design of this franchise has to be a 3-way
:16:03. > :16:06.partnership. It is a multifaceted franchise that has to work for
:16:07. > :16:09.everyone. In East Yorkshire, did we not have a
:16:10. > :16:16.plan for joined up thinking using the train operator called first
:16:17. > :16:19.trains to improve services for local people by electrifying to Hull. Was
:16:20. > :16:23.that not abandoned by the Government just a couple of weeks ago, that
:16:24. > :16:30.joined up thinking? What happened was that Hull trains
:16:31. > :16:39.ordered before I had reached deciding about alleged location on
:16:40. > :16:42.the line. That means we can spend more money around the network,
:16:43. > :16:45.improving services. People in Hull should be pleased because they are
:16:46. > :16:48.about to get smart, new trains that are going to improve services to
:16:49. > :16:57.that area. I think we would all welcome more in
:16:58. > :17:01.the integrated teams. In terms of the trans-Pennine route, could she's
:17:02. > :17:07.been how this will work from my local passengers. The franchise runs
:17:08. > :17:11.out in 2020 and the other into thousand and 23.
:17:12. > :17:16.The central focus is ignored and franchise. That was the
:17:17. > :17:22.recommendation. A large part of the real network is easy to deliver in
:17:23. > :17:25.this way. There are some parts we have multiple operators and mini to
:17:26. > :17:32.look quite carefully about how to do it. It is the integrity of the
:17:33. > :17:37.Northern franchise and the foundation of the strongest alliance
:17:38. > :17:43.and that area. Some of this integration is already
:17:44. > :17:48.in place in our network. This isn't really a change, is it? Or this is
:17:49. > :17:52.the predecessor to privatisation. Which is it?
:17:53. > :17:55.It could just be that we have had some tentative steps in this
:17:56. > :17:57.direction and early signs of promise and we think we should pursue them
:17:58. > :18:07.were seriously. It could just be that. Thank you.
:18:08. > :18:09.Commuters on the Braintree to Liverpool Street line suffered
:18:10. > :18:15.cancellations and delays that are far too regular occurrence. Whilst I
:18:16. > :18:20.welcome the commitment to the new rolling stock and franchise, does he
:18:21. > :18:24.agree with me that bringing together of the train operating companies and
:18:25. > :18:30.Network Rail will mean there can be no excuses the rolling stock,
:18:31. > :18:35.signalling to further delays for commuters in my constituency?
:18:36. > :18:41.I think what the public want is to know that someone is in charge. The
:18:42. > :18:45.aim is to make sure everyone is in charge. -- someone is in charge.
:18:46. > :18:49.There will be problems on a real system. We all want another is a
:18:50. > :18:52.joined up team trying to solve them. I hope the new trains, when they
:18:53. > :19:00.arrive, will deliver more reliability than the existing ones.
:19:01. > :19:05.Will you explain whether this near Richmond has any impact on future
:19:06. > :19:10.investment decisions. I know we've franchise is one of the first to be
:19:11. > :19:14.considered. How does that impact on the possible education? We have had
:19:15. > :19:18.a scheme that has been committed, paused, on paused but recommitted.
:19:19. > :19:23.Now it seems to be the poor is not committed.
:19:24. > :19:27.There is no impact. I have said that before. We are proceeding with the
:19:28. > :19:33.next stage of electrocution to Corby and we're looking at how we deliver
:19:34. > :19:38.service improvements to Sheffield by 2020, with improved journey times,
:19:39. > :19:44.remodelling of key places like Derby station. I am looking actively about
:19:45. > :19:46.how we provide the next and best trained fleet.
:19:47. > :19:50.I have been campaigning for the reopening of the east-west rail line
:19:51. > :19:54.for many years. May I thank my right honourable friend for those early
:19:55. > :19:58.Christmas present. Will he assured me that this new body will be
:19:59. > :20:02.working closely with the infrastructure commission on
:20:03. > :20:06.unlocking these potential of the Oxford to Cambridge corridor? Do we
:20:07. > :20:14.have an updated likely date for the opening of the line?
:20:15. > :20:20.Absolutely we will be working with them and we will also be working
:20:21. > :20:24.with the local authorities. I am not going to give him a date but I would
:20:25. > :20:28.say one of the reasons we are doing this is that I want to accelerate
:20:29. > :20:31.the process. If we look at the pipeline projects that Network Rail
:20:32. > :20:35.has, I do not want to see this disappeared into the next decade. I
:20:36. > :20:38.went to see a start and real improvement in works quickly. We
:20:39. > :20:43.have money from the Autumn Statement to start some of that work around
:20:44. > :20:48.the juncture point with high-speed rail to. This is a project I want to
:20:49. > :20:54.make happen quickly. We have to demonstrate sometimes we can get on
:20:55. > :20:57.with things in this country. My constituency on the north Wales
:20:58. > :21:03.line is covered by two major franchises. Two governments, the
:21:04. > :21:08.Welsh Government and the UK Government and one Network Rail. In
:21:09. > :21:12.future there are plans, who will be responsible for safety? Has into the
:21:13. > :21:16.Welsh Government about this? Today's announcement is about
:21:17. > :21:19.England predominantly. The Welsh Government has taken the lead in
:21:20. > :21:24.designing the franchise. The Welsh Government has in the with this view
:21:25. > :21:29.because they are themselves part funded in securing bids from
:21:30. > :21:33.integrated consortia in order to bid for the Cardiff Metro service that
:21:34. > :21:36.has been proposed. Yes, I will be discussing this with the Welsh
:21:37. > :21:39.Government. I have regular conversations with them and I hope
:21:40. > :21:44.we will be able to build on some things we are seeking to do in
:21:45. > :21:47.England. The Secretary of State decision to
:21:48. > :21:52.reintegrate train and track where appropriate. It is sensible. Will he
:21:53. > :21:57.accept that my constituents will regard his failure to remove the
:21:58. > :22:00.London metal services from the discredited south eastern franchise
:22:01. > :22:07.as being a cop out and failure and no sense at all as far as real users
:22:08. > :22:10.in my constituency seat? I know my honourable friend feels
:22:11. > :22:15.passionately about this but I do not agree with him. We will have the
:22:16. > :22:21.opportunity between London and Kent to design and improved franchise for
:22:22. > :22:25.the future. What I had to decide is where the benefits set out in the
:22:26. > :22:32.Mayor's business plan, which did not increases involve increases in
:22:33. > :22:36.capacity into London, was the improvements that the TEFL claimed
:22:37. > :22:40.they could deliver, really worth putting his railway line through
:22:41. > :22:46.what would have been the biggest restructures and the 1920s? My
:22:47. > :22:51.judgment is that we can achieve the benefits through partnership rather
:22:52. > :22:55.than mass organisation. What devaluation has been at the
:22:56. > :22:59.time and cost benefit of doing the Oxford Cambridge line in the way he
:23:00. > :23:03.is proposing, as proposed to Network Rail doing it? Does he envisage
:23:04. > :23:08.other projects being run in this way? Is this about getting an
:23:09. > :23:13.looking at different ways of doing things. Would he allow the public
:23:14. > :23:14.sector to bid for a train franchises in future?
:23:15. > :23:19.The issue about the Oxford to Cambridge corridor is that it is a
:23:20. > :23:24.much broader project than just a really line. It is a key development
:23:25. > :23:29.corridor by the Treasury, National infrastructure commission and we
:23:30. > :23:32.need to look at improved road links between the two. It is a much more
:23:33. > :23:36.complicated project than saying it is a really line. We do need to
:23:37. > :23:41.build a model that helps development contributions on the route and it is
:23:42. > :23:45.good for our rail sector to have a bit of contestability. The
:23:46. > :23:49.presumption that Network Rail should do everything does not give us any
:23:50. > :23:53.benchmarks to judge whether somebody else can do it better. I want to use
:23:54. > :23:56.this as an opportunity in a way that does not affect the rest of the
:23:57. > :24:02.network and see whether we can do them better and quicker.
:24:03. > :24:08.Passengers in my constituency just wanted a better service, one which
:24:09. > :24:11.matches the train timetable, something I have raised the
:24:12. > :24:14.Secretary of State and a number of occasions. I agree both track and
:24:15. > :24:19.train teams must work together to deliver a better service. What
:24:20. > :24:25.improvements will my constituents see with this new initiative?
:24:26. > :24:31.Secretary of state. Madam Deputy Speaker, one of the
:24:32. > :24:35.things that I asked for around the southern route was to create the
:24:36. > :24:39.kind of partnership I described today. The early experience with the
:24:40. > :24:42.National rail minister was that Network Rail and the train operator
:24:43. > :24:46.were not working closely together are not addressing problems
:24:47. > :24:49.together. The real challenge in a constituency is the ongoing
:24:50. > :24:53.industrial action. It is utterly pointless. Based on 01 losing their
:24:54. > :24:58.jobs and the one losing any money... It is all about adopting new
:24:59. > :25:03.technology. -- based on 01 losing their jobs. Based on technology
:25:04. > :25:09.already being used on the same routes. It is a tragedy and I call
:25:10. > :25:12.on them to go back to work. Madam Deputy Speaker, when transport
:25:13. > :25:15.for London to cover the London Underground, it went from being the
:25:16. > :25:21.worst performing rail line to both the best performing rail line in the
:25:22. > :25:24.country. That is why an agreement was signed with the London
:25:25. > :25:27.Government in March to take over South-eastern when the current
:25:28. > :25:33.franchise expires in 2018. What has happened to make the Government
:25:34. > :25:39.break their promise to London? I look carefully at this and I
:25:40. > :25:41.think... She needs to understand the difference between the London
:25:42. > :25:51.Underground and rest of the suburban routes. The overground has been a
:25:52. > :25:56.good service, run by a part of German Railways and MPR, and
:25:57. > :26:01.franchise operators like the rest. My judgment, rightly or wrongly, is
:26:02. > :26:05.that having read the Maer's business case closely, the level of change
:26:06. > :26:09.required to split this franchise in half to create the biggest operating
:26:10. > :26:13.change on this railway since the 1920s, and the potential disruption
:26:14. > :26:17.to passengers over a period of time, that we could deliver the service
:26:18. > :26:21.improvements and TEFL we're talking about by forging a partnership. Also
:26:22. > :26:25.crucially involving Kent because this is not just a London issue but
:26:26. > :26:30.a rail line that runs from London to the south coast. You cannot just be
:26:31. > :26:32.a rail system in terms of London because many passengers and
:26:33. > :26:35.representatives in this House are from further afield and would take a
:26:36. > :26:41.different view to her over what will work the rail line.
:26:42. > :26:45.Can I welcome the secretary of State's pragmatic approach to this
:26:46. > :26:50.problem? We on this side of the House believing devolution and we
:26:51. > :26:54.believe in different solutions... We believe in different solutions
:26:55. > :27:00.depending on the circumstances. The West Coast mainline is working at
:27:01. > :27:06.almost 100% capacity. Kenny explain to my constituents Howell London
:27:07. > :27:09.Midland and virgin are Network Rail on the West Coast Main line will
:27:10. > :27:16.work better together through his proposals.
:27:17. > :27:19.Mr Speaker, Madam Deputy Speaker, there are typical issues... There is
:27:20. > :27:25.a logic around the Midlands and around the North of having a joined
:27:26. > :27:28.up relationship between Network Rail and other train operators. Of course
:27:29. > :27:34.you will have services like the West Coast Main line and the Virgin
:27:35. > :27:37.service that cross countries and across boundaries service that meant
:27:38. > :27:40.we must preserve the existing regulatory frameworks other services
:27:41. > :27:43.are not affected. He joked about devolution... I'm talking about for
:27:44. > :27:51.London the same model we have adopted for drugs were for the
:27:52. > :27:56.North. And also in the Midlands. -- adopted for parts of the North. The
:27:57. > :27:59.North has had big part of what has been thought to be a greatly
:28:00. > :28:02.franchise to structure that will deliver real improvements for people
:28:03. > :28:08.in the North of England. A couple of weeks after what was
:28:09. > :28:13.meant to be about heralding new investment infrastructure, the new
:28:14. > :28:17.Secretary of State gave the game away with today's announcement that
:28:18. > :28:21.the new railway from Oxford to Cambridge will be run by private
:28:22. > :28:26.investment. The true colours shining through. Back to the comments of the
:28:27. > :28:31.success of the Alliance... If it is working so well just now, would it
:28:32. > :28:35.not work better if we fully devolve Network Rail in Scotland to the
:28:36. > :28:38.Scottish Government? The honourable gentleman talked
:28:39. > :28:42.about investment and true colours. My view is that the public sector is
:28:43. > :28:45.already putting a vast amount of investment into the railways. I
:28:46. > :28:49.support that I will get as much investment as I can for our
:28:50. > :28:53.transport system. There is no harm in trying to do more by
:28:54. > :28:57.supplementing that with private finance. Maybe an ideological
:28:58. > :29:00.division between us but I cannot see how a transport system loses by
:29:01. > :29:05.having some private finance alongside huge amount of public
:29:06. > :29:09.funding already going into it. Network Rail recently carried out ?3
:29:10. > :29:15.million worth of upgrades to the line running through Fareham, my
:29:16. > :29:18.constituency. Doesn't make secretary agree that this announcement will be
:29:19. > :29:23.more passenger focused? There are still so many commuters from Fareham
:29:24. > :29:27.who struggle because of the troubles with Southern Rail. A more joined up
:29:28. > :29:29.and coordinated approach will be a step in the right direction to
:29:30. > :29:34.ensure commuters can travel better to work.
:29:35. > :29:38.There are three things that need to happen to deal with the issues on
:29:39. > :29:46.Sutherland. First, we need joined up working, as I described. The second
:29:47. > :29:50.is we need more money into the infrastructure for Southern, which
:29:51. > :29:53.is under great stress. Intensively use and a lot has been spent on it
:29:54. > :29:58.over the years. We are to get the workforce back to work. I find it
:29:59. > :30:02.bizarre that I get very often a morning train to Victoria, which is
:30:03. > :30:08.a Kent coach train, with a driver and no guard. It has been like that
:30:09. > :30:11.for years. Why are the drivers and the cards on Southern, when no one
:30:12. > :30:15.is in danger of losing their jobs, putting passengers to enormous
:30:16. > :30:20.distress? Is shocking. The thing I would like to hear is just a word of
:30:21. > :30:25.condemnation to the party opposite. They were ever hear any condemnation
:30:26. > :30:32.of their union paymasters? The answer is, not for a moment.
:30:33. > :30:36.Heidi Alexander. Thank you. When Zac Goldsmith was
:30:37. > :30:38.standing as the Conservative candidate for mayor of London,
:30:39. > :30:43.Department for Transport were all for the idea of devolving
:30:44. > :30:49.responsibility for letting the south-east franchise to TEFL. Now
:30:50. > :30:54.that he has gone, the promise seems to have gone as well. -- TFL. Why
:30:55. > :30:57.does the Government jettisoned practical improvements that could be
:30:58. > :31:02.associated with evolution in favour of this political experiment?
:31:03. > :31:07.The problem was he talks about little experiments... Little
:31:08. > :31:10.experiments would be implementing a business plan that I did not judge
:31:11. > :31:13.delivered substantial improvements to passengers and brought the
:31:14. > :31:18.biggest shake-up to the railways in the south-east since the 1920s. That
:31:19. > :31:21.would be a risk we do not need to take. I think we can improve through
:31:22. > :31:26.partnership and it is not just about London but also Kent. A partnership
:31:27. > :31:29.and involves passengers in different parts of the route designing a
:31:30. > :31:37.franchise structure that delivers improvements for everyone.
:31:38. > :31:41.Passengers on the diesel operated East Midlands Trains franchise from
:31:42. > :31:44.London to Kettering, who already experienced some of the most
:31:45. > :31:48.expensive fares in the country, often have delays to their service,
:31:49. > :31:50.not because of anything East Midlands Trains has done, but
:31:51. > :31:54.because of Network Rail problems with the overhead lines coming out
:31:55. > :31:58.of Saint pancreas Govia Thameslink service, often happening at Luton
:31:59. > :32:05.and Bedford as well. Will the Secretary of State ensure that East
:32:06. > :32:07.Midlands, cancelling trains, and Network Rail are one of the first to
:32:08. > :32:13.set up these joint operating arrangements? That would be welcomed
:32:14. > :32:17.by my Kettering constituents. My honourable friend is right and
:32:18. > :32:20.that will be the case. It is one of the franchises to be liked. I think
:32:21. > :32:24.there are improvements. One of the things I think is unsatisfactory
:32:25. > :32:28.about the service for his constituents in Kettering as they
:32:29. > :32:33.have to do is cram into city trains from further north than East
:32:34. > :32:39.Midlands in the mornings, and we aim to deliver by 2020 better city
:32:40. > :32:44.service and the better dedicated commuters service for Kettering and
:32:45. > :32:46.further south. Jonathan Edwards.
:32:47. > :32:49.From what I can gather, integration seems to be at the heart of what he
:32:50. > :32:54.is endeavouring to achieve. With that in mind, now the UK Government
:32:55. > :33:00.is handing over and devolving responsibility is for the Welsh
:33:01. > :33:04.franchise to Wales, it is not logical to devolve responsibilities
:33:05. > :33:07.by the Welsh network? We are not devolving responsibility
:33:08. > :33:10.for the whole Welsh franchise in the way you described. We are in part,
:33:11. > :33:14.because what I said to Welsh Government, I am very happy they
:33:15. > :33:17.should take control of the Welsh valley lines with a view to
:33:18. > :33:22.developing a natural system they hope to be able to put into service.
:33:23. > :33:26.But the Welsh franchise as a whole is not fully Welsh but runs a large
:33:27. > :33:34.parts of England also. We could not have a situation where Westminster
:33:35. > :33:37.had given up control of services in England without checks and balances
:33:38. > :33:41.to the Welsh Government. That will not happen.
:33:42. > :33:46.Thank you, Madam Deputy Speaker. I welcome my honourable friend
:33:47. > :33:50.announcement today of greater alignment between track and train
:33:51. > :33:56.operators. In the last fortnight or so, it seems that Southern and
:33:57. > :33:58.cancelling passengers have suffered a lot of apparent broken rail
:33:59. > :34:03.reports. It seems more reports in that period than the last year. How
:34:04. > :34:11.can this new model help address that situation?
:34:12. > :34:14.Madam Deputy Speaker, I think the instance of broken rails is a
:34:15. > :34:19.worrying coincidence to put it mildly. I am concerned about the
:34:20. > :34:22.number of breakdowns that have been on the infrastructure in recent
:34:23. > :34:27.weeks. When passengers blamed the train company, actually it's very
:34:28. > :34:31.often, in recent times, more often than not and infrastructure problem.
:34:32. > :34:35.But that route is suffering intensely from low-level industrial
:34:36. > :34:40.action on non-strike days, where we have effectively had a work to rule
:34:41. > :34:44.of sorts in different parts of the railway for months. That is also
:34:45. > :34:48.putting intense pressure on. I wish the unions would just accept that
:34:49. > :34:52.are not losing as a result of the change. They have more job security,
:34:53. > :34:55.better pay than a lot of people in the south-east, they should get back
:34:56. > :35:03.to work and do the job they need to do.
:35:04. > :35:05.The public devolution... After a number of Conservative MPs and
:35:06. > :35:11.council leaders and assemblies, if the Government signed a joint
:35:12. > :35:17.prospectus with the previous, why is it the narrow, petty point that he
:35:18. > :35:26.does not want to devolve to a labourer Merrimack that he does not
:35:27. > :35:28.want frozen fares? The honourable gentleman said he
:35:29. > :35:37.would provide more frequent trains but the Merrimack's plan did not
:35:38. > :35:40.provide more frequent trains. It would have involved the biggest
:35:41. > :35:43.reorganisation of those routes since the 1920s. My judgment is that says
:35:44. > :35:46.it does not deliver the more frequent trains he has described, we
:35:47. > :35:53.will design the franchise through partnership rather than people.
:35:54. > :35:58.As the Secretary of State is aware, there are ongoing problems on
:35:59. > :36:01.Southern Rail, which have been going on for a significant time. Work
:36:02. > :36:06.done... And they have been made worse by the inability of Network
:36:07. > :36:11.Rail and the GTR to work together. Can I welcome the work he has done,
:36:12. > :36:15.his pragmatic approach to that? Also the pragmatic approach towards the
:36:16. > :36:18.unions. I appreciate my honourable friend's
:36:19. > :36:23.comments. One of the frustrations of breakdowns last week was caused by
:36:24. > :36:28.equipment left behind on engineering work being done to sort out the
:36:29. > :36:33.problems in that tunnel, a reason from reliability. Some of the money
:36:34. > :36:37.I set out in September is now being sped operationally on the ground...
:36:38. > :36:43.It is frustrating that it has an unfortunate accidental effect.
:36:44. > :36:47.Can the Secretary of State to tell us when the electrification works
:36:48. > :36:53.between Cardiff and Swansea will be finished?
:36:54. > :36:58.I have said to him before, I will make no bones about the fact I am
:36:59. > :37:01.not happy about the progress for the electrification, which has not made
:37:02. > :37:05.the progress I hope. My priority is to deliver for him the new trains
:37:06. > :37:10.and improve journey times that will result from where we have got to so
:37:11. > :37:14.far. And we hope we will get too soon on the electrification
:37:15. > :37:18.programme. What will make the biggest difference to Swansea is
:37:19. > :37:22.faster trains to London. What are the implications in the
:37:23. > :37:25.proposed partnership on the East Midlands franchise for smaller
:37:26. > :37:28.capital schemes like that for a level access at the station which
:37:29. > :37:33.was scandalously delayed by Network Rail last week?
:37:34. > :37:39.Madam Deputy Speaker, one thing he will now is that train operators
:37:40. > :37:46.have made improvements in the past and it has made evidence for them,
:37:47. > :37:48.including Chilton. But I hope on the ground as we will have more autonomy
:37:49. > :37:52.for the Network Rail team, including autonomy for private sector
:37:53. > :37:54.operators and they will come together and look at small schemes
:37:55. > :38:01.which will look at differences which can be afforded on local budgets.
:38:02. > :38:05.Proposals to devolve rail services in London were championed by his
:38:06. > :38:11.predecessor, underpinned by a solid business case, had cross-party
:38:12. > :38:14.support inside and outside of London, and importantly were
:38:15. > :38:20.incredibly popular among passengers in London and Kent who suffer daily
:38:21. > :38:23.at the hands of South-eastern with unreliable and overcrowded services.
:38:24. > :38:27.Does the Secretary of State accept his decision to take this proposal
:38:28. > :38:29.of the table today will be seen as a betrayal by those passengers of the
:38:30. > :38:31.hopes and affectations raised earlier in the year by the
:38:32. > :38:43.Government? No. The business plan submitted does
:38:44. > :38:49.not consider extra capacity. I have invited them to work alongside us in
:38:50. > :38:52.designing a franchise that maximises performance, takes advantage of any
:38:53. > :38:55.best practice that we can learn from, and works for London and for
:38:56. > :39:05.account. Both are important. Thank you.
:39:06. > :39:07.People in Corby are delighted with the Government's commitment to the
:39:08. > :39:13.electrification of the Midland mainline. They are very pleased with
:39:14. > :39:18.the grades that we have seen in recent weeks. They would like to
:39:19. > :39:22.seek more trains running northbound and southbound through Corby. What
:39:23. > :39:25.benefit does he see this great cooperation having in terms of
:39:26. > :39:32.responding most effectively to local concern and demand?
:39:33. > :39:36.What we know is that often on the railways, it is the small things
:39:37. > :39:42.that can make a real difference. What I want to see is when
:39:43. > :39:45.decentralisation of Network Rail into a route based structure with
:39:46. > :39:50.autonomous local managing directors who have their own budgets, they
:39:51. > :39:54.will be much better placed to really apply small amounts of money to
:39:55. > :39:58.small schemes that make material difference to passengers. I think
:39:59. > :40:02.that this approach will make that more likely. Starting with East
:40:03. > :40:06.Midlands, it's a real opportunity for them to be early benefactors of
:40:07. > :40:13.this. Ian Lucas.
:40:14. > :40:21.Transport for London and Merseyrail are successful vertically integrated
:40:22. > :40:27.train companies. Why if we want more integration don't we apply their
:40:28. > :40:31.successful model, which does not put private and public investment to the
:40:32. > :40:38.rest of our network? Merseyrail is not a vertically
:40:39. > :40:44.operated train operator. I discussed with them whether they wanted to
:40:45. > :40:49.take control and they have suggested they did not agree one too. I would
:40:50. > :40:50.be very happy if Merseyrail took control of their tracks. It