VerbatimParliament, as it happens

South Western Railway: Standards

Asked by Lincoln JoppConservativeDepartment for TransportTabled Answered 15 May 2025UIN 904127

The question

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking with South Western Railway to help improve service reliability.

Answered by Simon Lightwood

South Western Railway’s performance has been impacted by the late introduction of their Class 701 ‘Arterio’ fleet, leading to a reliance on older, less reliable trains. Officials are meeting regularly with the operator to discuss performance, and the Secretary of State met with FirstGroup and MTR on 13th May to discuss recent failures in the introduction of the new fleet and what they are doing to speed up next steps.

Verbatim has judged this answer against the question that was actually asked — answered, partly answered, or evaded. Sign in to see the verdict →

Open this question in Verbatim →

Every written question, searchable

155,000 questions tabled since the election, with the answer each department gave — and the ones still unanswered, with the clock running. Free to search.

Search written questions →Read on Verbatim