Asked by: Lord Berkeley (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether Great British Railways will assume responsibility for the construction of the tunnels between Old Oak Common and Euston, and if so, when.
Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
HS2 Ltd is the non-departmental public body responsible for delivering the HS2 programme. This includes responsibility for HS2’s Main Works Civils Construction, which in turn includes the construction of all tunnelling between Old Oak Common and Euston. Great British Railways will not assume this responsibility.
Asked by: Lord Berkeley (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what is the business case for starting work on the tunnels between Old Oak Common and Euston now when there is still no approved design for the HS2 station at Euston.
Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
Euston is key to realising HS2’s transformational growth benefits. Tunnelling to Euston from Old Oak Common is the most cost-effective approach, as the construction of Old Oak Common is set up for this purpose.
The Government has been collaborating with key partners to develop affordable, integrated plans for the Euston Station Campus, which will include the new HS2 station. We will set out more details in due course.
Asked by: Lord Berkeley (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what the names of the six major rail tunnel and road milestones completed ahead of schedule in 2025 are, as cited by Rt Hon Darren Jones MP in their announcement on 27 January of the start of boring work on the tunnels between Old Oak Common and Euston.
Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
The six major rail tunnel and road milestones completed ahead of schedule in 2025 are as follows:
Milestone | Planned Date | Actual Date |
A46 – completion of structure – road re-opened | May-25 | Apr-25 |
Bromford tunnel – tunnel boring machine (TBM) 2 (Elizabeth) breakthrough | Dec-25 | Oct-25 |
Station Road alignment – installation of precast beams on HS2 and National Rail overbridges (Calvert) | Oct-25 | Aug-25 |
Section 5 structure finish for Greatworth Green tunnel | Jul-25 | May-25 |
Euston tunnels downline TBM – assemble / install tail skin and screw conveyor | Apr-25 | Mar-25 |
Northolt tunnels east down line tunnel boring machine extracted at Green Park Way vent shaft | Nov-25 | Aug-25 |
Asked by: Lord Berkeley (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill on 30 January (HL13616), whether they will publish a map of the exact route of the Northern Powerhouse Rail project; and whether that route is electrified.
Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
Northern Powerhouse Rail is expected to run on a core electrified railway between Liverpool, Manchester, Leeds, Bradford, Sheffield, and York, with onward services to Newcastle, Hull, and Chester for North Wales.
A schematic map was published as part of the Northern Growth Strategy: Case for Change command paper. Where relevant, public consultations, covering more detail on route alignment, will take place in due course.
Asked by: Lord Berkeley (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the total cost of construction for the two tunnels between Old Oak Common and Euston.
Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
The Department and HS2 Ltd are currently undertaking a full reset of the HS2 programme, with revised cost and schedule ranges being developed. Once this work has been completed, these ranges will be published to Parliament.
Asked by: Lord Berkeley (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what is (1) the route of the tunnels between Old Oak Common and Euston, and (2) the location of their Euston end portals; and how these features interact with any designs for the HS2 station at Euston.
Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
From Old Oak Common station, the twin bore Euston tunnels will head north-east under Kensal Green Cemetery before broadly following the line of the Network Rail West Coast Main Line into Euston. The alignment curves in a southerly direction under Primrose Hill and the bored tunnels will end beneath the junction of Parkway and Gloucester Avenue.
From this point the twin bore tunnels will transition into a group of structures termed the Euston approaches, rather than interfacing directly with the station at Euston. The Euston approaches include a set of sprayed concrete lined (SCL) tunnels that connect to the twin bored tunnels. The Euston approaches will broadly cover the area between London Zoo car park and Hampstead Road.
The immediate structure that is to interface with Euston station is a retained cutting, which extends for circa 600m from a northerly direction to the entrance of Euston station. This will enable the HS2 lines to fan out into the necessary configuration for the station and its platforms.
Asked by: Lord Berkeley (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what is the current status of the Euston Delivery Company, its Board, its remit, and its financial information
Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
The Government’s 10-Year Infrastructure Strategy confirmed that a Euston Delivery Company (EDC) will be established to oversee development of and be the single directing authority for the whole Euston campus. Its primary role will be to lead, integrate, and deliver a modern, safe, and revitalised transport gateway and support commercial development around the Campus.
The Government is working on the design and establishment of the new Delivery Company, with further details to be set out in due course once it has been formally established.
Asked by: Lord Berkeley (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what the exact route of the Northern Powerhouse Rail project is; and which cities it will run between.
Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
Northern Powerhouse Rail will deliver turn-up-and-go railway services between Liverpool, Manchester, Leeds, Bradford, Sheffield and York, with regular services to Newcastle, Hull and Chester for North Wales. The first phase of work East of the Pennines will largely be upgrades to existing lines, including electrification. The government is taking forward work on the High Speed Rail (Crewe-Manchester) Bill to seek powers for the section of route into Manchester via Manchester Airport. Options for further sections of new route, including connections to Liverpool, will be assessed with local leaders in the coming months, in advance of any public consultation.
Asked by: Lord Berkeley (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what the expected date is for the start of the development of the first phase of the Northern Powerhouse Rail project; and when they expect the necessary planning and permissions to allow construction to begin will be completed.
Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
Government has allocated £1.1bn funding for Northern Powerhouse Rail in this Parliament to undertake development and consenting work. The first phase, focusing on electrification and upgrades East of the Pennines, is expected to be delivered during the 2030s.
Asked by: Lord Berkeley (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask His Majesty's Government for how long HMP Dartmoor has been empty of prisoners; what the estimated cost is of rectifying the buildings to make them safe and habitable; who the freeholder of the prison site is; and what obligations the freeholder has to fund the rectifying works.
Answered by Lord Timpson - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
HMP Dartmoor has been temporarily closed since August 2024 following the detection of radon gas. We have been working with specialist radon experts to investigate and assess options to allow us to reopen the prison safely.
The decision on reopening will be made based on the viability of the site, the effectiveness of works to reduce levels of radon, and value for money. We need to be satisfied that reopening the prison is justified in the light of a range of considerations, including compliance with legislative requirements, operational viability, and the cost of mitigation measures. To date, approximately £1.2 million has been spent on radon mitigation.
The freehold of the site on which HMP Dartmoor is built is owned by the Duchy of Cornwall. The Ministry of Justice has a full repairing and insuring lease. Any costs to maintain the buildings and make them safe and habitable therefore fall to the Department for the duration of its lease.