To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the answer of 9 February 2009, Official Report, columns 1606-8W, on rolling stock, (1) on what date and for what reasons the decision was taken to reduce the number of new carriages scheduled to be ordered in the Rolling Stock Plan; (270979)

No decision has been taken to reduce the number of new carriages proposed to be ordered as part of the Rolling Stock Plan. The Rolling Stock Plan published in January 2008 (revised in July 2008) showed an indicative allocation of additional carriages to individual train operators. The plan did not distinguish between new carriages and those transferred between train operators.

543 of the 1,300 new carriages announced in High Level Output Specification (HLOS) have been ordered, with the balance to be ordered in due course.