Asked by: Lord McCobb (Liberal Democrat - 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 29 September (HL3702), what assessment they have made of whether running battery-electric trains on the existing railway between Hull and Leeds fulfils their September 2024 commitment to electrify and improve line speed between Hull and Leeds and between Hull and Sheffield; and, if not, when they expect that commitment to be bet.
Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
As set out in my answer of 29 September 2026 (HL3702), this Government is committed to ensuring Northern Powerhouse Rail (NPR) services reach Hull. The recently published Great British Railways Rolling Stock and Infrastructure Strategy sets out the Government’s intention to progressively move away from diesel towards electric traction, principally through battery-electric trains with targeted electrification as seen with the announcement of new battery bi-mode trains as part of the TransPennine Route Upgrade.
The Department will continue to consider the case for potential future rail enhancements through its established investment processes, taking into account of strategic fit, affordability, value for money and deliverability in line with the Green Book.
Asked by: Lord McCobb (Liberal Democrat - 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 29 September (HL3702), what improvement in journey times between Hull and Leeds and between Hull and Manchester they expect from the introduction of battery-electric trains; and on what date they expect those trains to enter passenger service on routes serving Hull.
Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
We expect to see a journey time improvement of 5-6 minutes between Hull and Manchester and up to a minute between Hull and Leeds in comparison to today.
New trains will be in operation on services to and from Hull by December 2034. They may be introduced on this route sooner, but this will need to be considered alongside the unit delivery schedule and driver training plan.
Asked by: Lord McCobb (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to honour their September 2024 commitment to bring Hull into Northern Powerhouse Rail, including the electrification and improvement of the line between Hull, Leeds and Sheffield, following the exclusion of Hull from the Northern Powerhouse Rail plans announced in January.
Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
As set out in the January 2026 Northern Growth Strategy, the Government is committed to ensuring Northern Powerhouse Rail (NPR) services reach Hull. The TransPennine Route Upgrade programme is procuring 29 new battery-electric trains for the TransPennine network, enabling electric train services to operate to Hull, and improved connectivity to Leeds, Manchester and beyond. The Department will work with Network Rail to ensure that the infrastructure required to support battery-electric operation is also capable of supporting future NPR bi-mode trains serving Hull. The case for other enhancements – such as connections to Sheffield - will still be considered, irrespective of NPR, in future years.