Rail Services

Part of Transport – in the House of Commons at 9:36 am on 26 October 2023.

Alert me about debates like this

Photo of Huw Merriman Huw Merriman Minister of State (Department for Transport) 9:36, 26 October 2023

My hon. Friend is another excellent member of the Transport Committee, and he always champions the need for more capacity on his busy railway lines. He is accurate: overcrowding is becoming an increasing concern for Chiltern, which is assessing options to mitigate the issue, such as further utilisation of the Class 68 units in and out of Marylebone to maximise capacity. There are issues with the diesel fleet, but we want to ensure that we can continue to provide the service for his Chiltern customers. In the longer term, I know that Chiltern is working with the rolling stock company providers to assess hybrid trains, with an aim to moving away from diesel.