Asked by: Lord Hanningfield (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government to what extent any plans for the Norwich–Liverpool line, particularly in the Chelmsford area, have been affected by recent changes to Network Rail.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We do not envisage any changes to plans for the Norwich – Liverpool line.
Asked by: Lord Hanningfield (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what progress has been made regarding the new Lower Thames Crossing.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
In July 2014, the Secretary of State for Transport announced the next steps for delivering a new Lower Thames crossing. It is vital that the right location is chosen, which is why the final two options, Options A and C, are being assessed in detail. Work led by Highways England is currently underway to determine where and how best to tie in a new crossing to the existing road network. This work is expected to lead to public consultation on a proposed solution in late 2015 or early 2016.
Asked by: Lord Hanningfield (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to encourage commuters to give up their seats to the elderly and differently able.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
This remains an operational matter for public transport operators to decide on. There are already good practice examples within the industry such as Southern’s Priority Seat Card which can be shown to fellow passengers who are sitting in a priority seat. This will indicate that the passenger using the card has been recognised by Southern as needing a priority seat. The Government is keen to encourage further uptake of these schemes. It remains the responsibility of train operators and their staff to assist priority passengers to obtain a seat and direct other passengers occupying seats accordingly.