First Great Western Franchise

: I know that my hon. Friend takes a great interest in the train services in his constituency and is a good campaigner for them. Yes, I shall certainly write to him on that matter. The hon. Member for Totnes mentioned track maintenance and infrastructure problems. Today's debate has highlighted the condition of the infrastructure, and I am aware of the concerns that have been expressed by hon. Members about the performance of First group and Network Rail in respect of the Great Western service. The principal causes of problems are track condition and the temporary speed restrictions that are imposed to maintain safe operation. Performance on the route remains unsatisfactory, but Network Rail reduced the delay minutes for track-related problems from 14,000 minutes per period at the start of the year 2005–06 to 10,000 minutes per period. It has a large programme of track renewals over a five to six year period and has invested in high-output track renewal plant that has been successful in reducing track-related faults. To reduce delays, it is working to increase the track handback speed following renewals from 50 mph to 80 mph. A recent programme of rail renewal has helped to reduce temporary speed restrictions, and Network Rail plans to spend additional money over the next five years on more than 100 schemes to improve Great Western performance. An essential element of planning a train service specification is to give Network Rail reasonable access to the railway for maintenance and renewal. Generally, that requires possession, which involves a temporary closure of a section of railway to traffic. As the hon. Gentleman knows, the typical pattern is for routine track maintenance to be undertaken during midweek night possessions, when few passenger trains operate, and for renewal and larger maintenance projects to be done at weekends. At the same time, growing levels of rail traffic pose a challenge to Network Rail, which, if possible, must increase the rate of maintenance and renewal without increasing its demands for possessions. The hon. Gentleman mentioned Dawlish. It receives special attention from Network Rail. The line and sea wall are regularly monitored and receive enhanced maintenance. The foundations of vulnerable sections have been strengthened, and a team of five people work on the section throughout the year. Network Rail is not currently considering an alternative route. The monitoring and enhanced maintenance—