To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to improve rail services (a) on the Southport to Manchester line and (b) to and from the West Lancashire constituency; and if he will make an assessment of the effect of recent national timetable changes on commuter services in those areas.

The Department and Transport for the North each expressed concerns over the rate of recovery of performance and in particular the readiness of the industry for service re-introduction. This has led to the creation of a working group with representatives from Northern, TransPennine Express and Network Rail. That group is charged with identifying any initiatives that might assist with performance recovery and identifying any underlying structural weaknesses in the timetables in operation.