Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole (BCP) has published a report on its month‑long trial of higher PCNs. The Department is reviewing the findings of this trial which will be carefully considered before any decisions are taken.

This government is committed to improving the accessibility of the railway and recognises the social and economic benefits this brings to communities.

Under the previous government, nominations were sought for funding through the Access for All programme in 2022. A total of 310 nominations were received from Network Rail, train operating companies (TOCs) and other strategic transport organisations. This did not include Torre railway station.

The Honourable Member may wish to engage with the local transport authority and Great Western Railway to ensure Torre station is a priority in any future rounds of funding.

Access to the rail network including decisions on Open Access applications is a matter for the Office of Rail and Road (ORR). When DfT provides views on individual applications as a key stakeholder, it does so with input from rail analytical and operational teams as required.

Local authorities have a legal responsibility to manage their roads and public spaces in a way that meets the Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED) under the Equality Act 2010. It is for them to ensure that their streets are designed and maintained in a way that takes account of the needs of everyone, including visually impaired people.

The Government has produced good practice guidance to help them in this, and this is available at

www.gov.uk/government/publications/inclusive-mobility-making-transport-accessible-for-passengers-and-pedestrians

The Government recognises the problems that blind and partially sighted pedestrians can face when motorists park on pavements, and when e-scooters and e-bikes are left blocking pavements. It will make an announcement shortly on next steps on pavement parking, following the 2020 consultation, and is introducing new regulatory powers through the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill to help local authorities manage shared micromobility schemes more effectively.

The government is committed to improving public transport services so they are more inclusive and enable blind and partially sighted people to travel safely, confidently and with dignity. On 17 December, the government introduced the Bus Services (No.2) Bill to put the power over local bus services back into the hands of local leaders and is intended to ensure networks meet the needs of the communities who rely on them. The Bill includes measures which will make bus travel more accessible and inclusive, including requiring authorities to pay regard to new guidance on the safety and accessibility of stopping places.

The government recognises the concerns which have been raised about floating bus stops, particularly. This is why the Department has accepted amendments to the Bus Services (No. 2) Bill which require the Secretary of State to publish statutory guidance on their provision and design within three months of Royal Assent. In addition, the Department will write to all local authorities requesting that they pause the introduction of any floating bus stops which require passengers to board and alight directly into a cycle track.

On 1 October 2024, the first phase of the Public Service Vehicles (Accessible Information) Regulations 2023 came into force, meaning that newer vehicles providing local services must provide audible and visible information on stops, destinations and diversions. The majority of services will need to comply by October 2026.

Ensuring the rail network is also accessible is at the heart of our passenger-focused approach to improving rail services. We know that the experience for disabled people when traveling on rail too often falls short of what is expected and what passengers deserve. We are committed to improving the experience for disabled passengers and have committed to publishing an accessibility roadmap to explain the actions we are taking to improve accessibility ahead of Great British Rail.  We have recently completed a programme to install platform edge tactile paving at every station that did not already have it in place or was due to have it installed as part of other enhancement or renewal work.

Regarding pavement parking, the government understands that vehicles parked on the pavement can cause serious problems for all pedestrians and especially people with mobility or sight impairments. The Department intends to publish a formal response to the pavement parking consultation, including the government’s next steps to address pavement parking.

The Department expects operators to make operational decisions regarding onboard Wi-Fi within current annual budgets. While there is no specific funding set aside for improved Wi-Fi in the West of England, Peninsula Transport is working with Great Western Railway to conduct a trial on a Class 802 Hitachi unit to improve Wi-Fi provision.

The trial is anticipated to take place in the Autumn and will include the entirety of the route from London Paddington to Penzance.

Following the Chancellors’s statement on 11 June we are now working to confirm our wider portfolio of rail enhancements, which will be published as part of the Government’s commitment to set out its overall infrastructure pipeline.

The Government has invested £165 million into the South West Rail Resilience Programme to build resilience around Dawlish, which has seen much improved performance. There has, however, been some disruption on the line through Dawlish in recent months with cancellations due to poor weather, a lack of traincrew on Sundays and fleet reliability. The Department is working closely with Great Western Railway and Network Rail to improve the resilience of train services on this rail line.

There are four full-time equivalent civil servants working on rail projects in the South West, including the South West Rail Resilience Programme.

Civil servants working on rail projects in the South West are predominantly focused on supporting the South West Rail Resilience Programme, Mid-Cornwall Metro, Wellington and Cullompton stations, MetroWest Phase 1b, also known as the Portishead line, and Charfield station, with many other projects in the area being worked on as and when required. Resources are allocated flexibly according to business requirements.

There are four full-time equivalent civil servants working on rail projects in the South West, including the South West Rail Resilience Programme.

The recent performance of Great Western Railway (GWR) services on Sundays has not been good enough. Whilst many factors impact performance the recent increase in cancellations has been driven by the availability of traincrew. Officials are actively working with GWR and the wider industry to improve performance on Sundays.