West Coast Main Line
(Network Rail Discussions)
3. Emma Harper (South
Scotland) (SNP)
To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has held with
Network Rail regarding passenger services on the west coast main
line, including services calling at Lockerbie. (S6O-01886)
The Minister for Transport
()
Transport Scotland has regular meetings with Network Rail and
train operating companies regarding passenger services at railway
stations on the west coast main line in Scotland.
Lockerbie services are provided by TransPennine
Express and Avanti West Coast, which
are train operating companies that are specified and funded by
the United Kingdom Government. I discussed
TransPennine services when I met the UK
Government rail minister recently. TransPennine
services at Lockerbie have been affected by an unacceptable level
of cancellation and delay, which has been compounded by
industrial action.
Emma Harper
The TransPennine service at Lockerbie is in a
complete fankle. Trains are consistently cancelled or delayed
with no notice, no replacement bus and no alternative options.
That has a major impact on my constituents who rely on the
service to travel to the central belt and south of the border.
Currently, only 43 per cent of TransPennine
services run on time, with CrossCountry, Avanti and LNER
occasionally picking up the slack by making unplanned stops at
Lockerbie. Will the minister agree to make representations to
TransPennine regarding how unacceptable the
situation is, and will she commit to facilitating a meeting with
me and Network Rail regarding the contract for the service?
As I have previously outlined, TransPennine is a
cross-border rail operator, so the contract is run and managed by
the UK Government Department for Transport. It is, ultimately, a
matter for the UK Government to resolve and, as I alluded to in
my response to Emma Harper’s initial question, I have very
recently raised her concerns with the UK Government rail minister
directly. acknowledged the poor performance of
TransPennine, and I am advised that the DFT is
working closely with it to improve performance levels.
Separately, I have written to the previous minister for rail,
, on the matter of cross-border
performance in relation to the Avanti contract,
which is managed by the DFT, too. The member may recall that Mr
Foster provided Avanti with a contract extension
last year, despite Avanti’s poor performance. I
am happy to make the direct representation that Emma Harper has
asked me for, and I will ask my officials to facilitate the
meeting with Network Rail that she has requested.
Oliver Mundell
(Dumfriesshire) (Con)
The situation is worse than “a fankle”—there is nothing to get
tied up or tangled. Will the minister consider a solution that is
closer to home? Given that ScotRail is now in public ownership,
will she take forward discussions about running a passenger
service that actually calls at Lockerbie?
I recognise Mr Mundell’s frustration. We have heard similar
frustration from Emma Harper about the service. However,
ultimately, the service is a contract that is managed by the DFT,
so I urge the UK Government to help TransPennine
to resolve the issues. I raised the matter with the rail minister
only a few weeks ago, but I am more than happy to make further
representations. If Mr Mundell is able to persuade his colleagues
down south—because, as I said, the contract is managed by the
DFT—to give the necessary focus to resolving the situation, I am
sure that his constituents would welcome that.
Colin Smyth (South
Scotland) (Lab)
I hope that, in her representations, the minister will back my
calls for TransPennine
Express and Avanti West Coast to lose
that franchise, which, frankly, is a failed one.
Last month, I asked the minister whether the plans to remove peak
fares would cover all routes in Scotland. She said yes. Lockerbie
might be a ScotRail station but, as we know, the services are
provided by TransPennine and
Avanti. Is the minister raising that issue in
the discussions that she is having with those companies to ensure
that passengers who go from one Scottish station to another,
irrespective of who delivers those services, also benefit from
the removal of peak fares? Passengers from Lockerbie should not
be treated as second class just because, at the moment, ScotRail
chooses not to run services from there.
I recognise Colin Smyth’s observations. The peak fares promotion
that will be forthcoming in the coming months will apply to
ScotRail services. I do not have responsibility for the services
in question, which sit outwith the Scottish Government’s control.
I am more than happy to raise such matters directly with the
train operating companies, as I mentioned in my response to Ms
Harper, and directly with the UK Government.
