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London North Eastern Railway: Passengers

Asked by Andrew RosindellReform UKDepartment for TransportTabled Answered 11 October 2024UIN 5553

The question

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions she has had with Network Rail on (a) the under-utilisation of some London North Eastern Railway services on the East Coast Main Line and (b) awarding those rail services to open access services.

Answered by Simon Lightwood

The Department regularly monitors levels of passenger demand on LNER services which help inform timetable planning decisions on the East Coast Mainline. Network capacity is a matter for Network Rail to assess according to their criteria.

The Secretary of State has not discussed awarding LNER services to Open Access operators with Network Rail, and has no plans to do so, but does continue to engage with Network Rail and the ORR on submitted Open Access applications in line with standard industry processes.

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