Asked by: Lord Willis of Knaresborough (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in each of the years 2015 to 2025, what is (1) the planned expenditure on (a) rail, and (b) road, improvements in the north of England, and (2) the planned annual budget for economic activity provided to the Northern Powerhouse initiative.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
As outlined in the existing Road Investment Strategy, announced in 2014, the total investment in major schemes on the strategic road network in the North (taken to be the North West, North East and Yorkshire) between April 2015 and March 2021 is expected to be about £2.9 billion. Construction of some of these schemes will continue beyond 2021 so the overall spend is expected to be £4.8 billion. Over £2.5 billion has also been committed to local transport projects and improvements to 2021. In addition, substantial amounts of funding have been allocated to road maintenance on both the strategic and local road networks in the north.
The Government has ambitious plans for rail which is why Network Rail has been allocated a record £38 billionfor the period from 2014-2019. The Secretary of State for Transport has asked Sir Peter Hendy, as the new chair of Network Rail, to report to him this autumn with a proposal for re-planning the Control Period 5 enhancements in a way that is efficient, deliverable and affordable. Until that work is complete, the spending profile in any given year is not available.
The Government will update its plans following the Spending Review, which will conclude on 25 November 2015.