Asked by: Lord Shutt of Greetland (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, following the announcement that some railway lines closed in 1963 will be reopened, (1) how much track mileage is to be re-opened for passenger traffic on lines presently in place or used only for freight; (2) how much track mileage is to be re-opened for passenger traffic where track has been removed; and (3) how many stations are to be re-opened on lines presently used for passengers, in the next (a) five, and (b) 10, years.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
The volume of railway lines and stations that will be re-opened through the £500m investment, being made during this Government and in subsequent years, will depend on the costs and value for money of qualifying schemes. The Secretary of State is inviting MPs to work with local authorities and community groups to come forward with proposals to explore.
Asked by: Lord Shutt of Greetland (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the announcement by the Secretary of State for Transport on 29 November that the Stagecoach–Virgin partnership would cease to operate the East Coast Rail franchise in 2020, whether they expect that the commitments in the original franchise that were due to be met before 2020 will continue to be met; and in particular, whether they expect (1) direct services from Middlesbrough to London, (2) two-hourly direct weekday services between Bradford, Harrogate, Lincoln and London, and (3) new direct peak-time services between Huddersfield and London, to be established by May 2019.
Answered by Baroness Sugg
We are in discussions with Stagecoach to ensure the needs of passengers and taxpayers will be met in the short term whilst laying the foundations for introduction of the East Coast Partnership from 2020.
We expect to provide additional services between Lincoln, Harrogate, Bradford and London from May 2019. It remains our intention to deliver additional services to Middlesbrough and Huddersfield. Virgin Trains East Coast has contingent rights to run services from London to Middlesbrough from May 2020 and firm rights from May 2021.
Asked by: Lord Shutt of Greetland (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the statement by the Secretary of State for Transport, Mr Patrick McLoughlin, on 25 June (HC Deb, col 1068) about Network Rail in respect of the trans-Pennine route that "current work on electrification will be paused because we need to be much more ambitious for that route" , whether their plans for electrification are to be combined with their ambitions for High Speed 3; and, if so, when they expect electrification to take place.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Electrification of the NorthTranspennine line east of Stalybridge is paused pending receipt of Sir Peter Hendy's re-planning proposals this autumn. This is a pause, not a stop, to ensure that it happens at the right time to deliver the most benefit. The government’s enhancements programme is ambitious and stretching and it needs to be re-planned to ensure it remains deliverable and affordable. The replan should take into consideration the plans for the Northern Powerhouse / TransNorth to ensure that we are delivering the best solution overall.
Asked by: Lord Shutt of Greetland (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government why their policy to pause rail electrification was not reflected in the debate in the House on 17 June on transport in the north of England in the context of the Minister's comment on the relationship between electrification and Government's northern powerhouse aspirations.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The delay to Transpennine electrification was already known, and therefore I didn’t specifically mention the delay in my opening. As it was in the public domain, several Lords referenced the delay in their speeches. I acknowledged the concerns about the delay in my closing speech and have written to the Lords in more detail to address their concerns.
Asked by: Lord Shutt of Greetland (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the statement by the Secretary of State for Transport, Mr Patrick McLoughlin, on 25 June (HC Deb, cols 1067–8), how long the pause is expected to last before the TransPennine rail line is electrified.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Electrification of the TransPennine line east of Stalybridge is paused pending receipt of Sir Peter Hendy's re-planning proposals this autumn.
Asked by: Lord Shutt of Greetland (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the statement by the Secretary of State for Transport, Mr Patrick McLoughlin, on 25 June (HC Deb, cols 1067–8), how long the pause is expected to last before the Midland Main Line railway route is electrified.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Electrification of the Midland Main Line is paused pending receipt of Sir Peter's Hendy's proposals for replanning the enhancements programme.