To ask the Secretary of State for Transport

(1) if he will require new replacement 313 rolling stock for the current Great Northern route as a condition of the new Greater Thameslink franchise;

(2) what representations he has received on updating 313 rolling stock on the current Great Northern route including the Hertford Loop; and if he will make a statement.

The Department held a consultation exercise on the Thameslink, Southern and Great Northern (TSGN) franchise in 2012 and published its response to the consultation on 26 September 2013 (Stakeholder Briefing Document and Consultation response). Updating the Class 313 rolling stock on the Great Northern route including the Hertford Loop does not appear in the document as an issue that was raised during the consultation process.

The Invitation to Tender (ITT) for the TSGN franchise, published on 26 September 2013, does not mandate the introduction of new rolling stock to replace the Class 313 trains on the Great Northern Route. However, Section 5.4.3 of the ITT makes clear that additional credit would be available to bidders in the evaluation process for bids that

“improve the quality of rolling stock used by the Franchisee... in ways that address identified passenger priorities for improvement”.