To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what discussions he has had with train operators about services which did not operate on 2 February 2009; and what steps are being taken to prevent a recurrence of those problems. (255908)

Of the just over 18,000 trains due to have run on 2 February, nearly 9,000 reached their destination on time and another 2,000 ran but arrived late. The remaining 7,000 were cancelled, most of them on routes south of the Thames.

The provision of train services is a matter for operators and I am satisfied that they understand the need to have arrangements in place to deal with exceptional weather. Ministers have not therefore sought to discuss train performance on 2 February with them.