Rolling Stock

Mr. Hancock
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will take steps to seek to release rolling stock stored at Eastleigh onto (a) Great Western and (b) South West Trains services; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Tom Harris
Rolling stock recently stored at Eastleigh comprises two types.

Most are Class 442s which have recently come off lease from the South West franchise, having been replaced by newer trains. Angel Trains Limited, who own the Class 442s, will be considering how they might be deployed in future, though their relatively low passenger capacity means that they are not suitable for all routes.

A number of Class 158 vehicles have also been stored at Eastleigh. Northern Rail announced on 13 March that they had taken the trains on lease to help ease crowding on some of their busiest services.