Asked by: Catherine McKinnell (Labour - Newcastle upon Tyne North)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 16 July 2018 to Question 163101 on Rolling Stock, if he will list the specific economic benefits.
Answered by Lord Johnson of Marylebone
Passengers will benefit from improvements in rolling stock quality and capacity along with the wider benefits of the employment of many skilled workers dedicated to rolling stock manufacturing, maintenance, and refurbishment and across the industry supply chain.
Asked by: Catherine McKinnell (Labour - Newcastle upon Tyne North)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the £780 million investment in the East Coast Main Line announced on 23 July 2018, whether that funding has been ring-fenced for investment in that line; to what specific projects that funding is planned to be allocated; and what the timetable is for each of those projects so funded.
Answered by Lord Johnson of Marylebone
The investment of up to £780m in the East Coast Main Line will deliver power supply upgrades between Doncaster and Edinburgh, a new rail junction near Peterborough, a new platform at Stevenage Station and improvements to the track layout at King’s Cross Station. These upgrades will all be completed in the early 2020s.
Asked by: Catherine McKinnell (Labour - Newcastle upon Tyne North)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the (a) timescale and (b) scope is of the research his Department is conducting on Traffic Regulation Orders in relation to pavement parking.
Answered by Jesse Norman
The Department for Transport is gathering evidence on the issue of pavement parking to consider the effectiveness of current regulatory frameworks and assess the case for various alternatives. This work is under way and we expect to draw conclusions towards the end of this year.
Asked by: Catherine McKinnell (Labour - Newcastle upon Tyne North)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department has undertaken an impact assessment of the risks associated with the roll-out smart motorways.
Answered by Jesse Norman
In each case Highways England complete a full assessment of safety issues during the project design phase, and then monitor and evaluate performance after delivery, to ensure that smart motorways maintain the high levels of safety seen on existing traditional motorways.
Highways England have also completed operational safety assessments across their current live smart motorways. These show that smart motorways are meeting their safety objectives and are maintaining the high levels of safety achieved prior to their introduction.
Asked by: Catherine McKinnell (Labour - Newcastle upon Tyne North)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what contracts for manufacturing rolling stock in the UK there have been in each of the last five years; and what assessment he has made of the effect of such contracts on the North East.
Answered by Lord Johnson of Marylebone
A table is attached that sets out all UK rolling stock orders in each of the last five years. No assessment has been made of their effect on the North East, however the health and competitiveness of the UK rolling stock market means that these trains will deliver valuable benefits for both passengers and industry across the country.
Hitachi have been successful in winning large orders for new trains in both Scotland and England, and these are being assembled in their factory in the North-East. These orders are providing employment and opportunities for the local supply chain.
Asked by: Catherine McKinnell (Labour - Newcastle upon Tyne North)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent steps his Department has taken to support the growth of the rail supply chain in the North East.
Answered by Lord Johnson of Marylebone
The Department supports the Rail Supply Group which is the only rail body to have both members from Government and the private sector, focusing on supporting and enhancing the rail supply chain, from small-medium enterprises to multi-national companies across the UK. The Rail Supply Group works on behalf of the UK rail supply industry as a whole.
Asked by: Catherine McKinnell (Labour - Newcastle upon Tyne North)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate he has made of the economic benefit for the (a) North East and (b) UK of UK-based manufacturing of new rolling stock in the last five years.
Answered by Lord Johnson of Marylebone
The UK has a healthy and competitive rolling stock market that continues to deliver valuable benefits for both passengers and industry.
Asked by: Catherine McKinnell (Labour - Newcastle upon Tyne North)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate he has made of the economic contribution of the Intercity Express Programme to the (a) UK, (b) North East and (c) South West.
Answered by Lord Johnson of Marylebone
Rail services are a vital part of the economy and the Intercity Express Programme is part of the national programme of modernisation works taking place on our railways that will improve the experience of rail users and stimulate economic growth across the UK.
The Intercity Express Programme has led to Hitachi investing in a state of the art facility at Newton Aycliffe which has created over a 1000 new jobs in the North East and supported thousands more in the UK supply chain. We expect the programme’s benefits to be realised once all the Intercity Express trains are in service on the Great Western and East Coast mainlines in 2020.
Asked by: Catherine McKinnell (Labour - Newcastle upon Tyne North)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he has held (a) meetings and (b) discussions with business groups in the North East on support for rail manufacturing.
Answered by Lord Johnson of Marylebone
Departments publish quarterly details of Ministers’ meetings with external organisations on GOV.UK. These can be found at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/dft-ministerial-gifts-hospitality-travel-and-meetings
Asked by: Catherine McKinnell (Labour - Newcastle upon Tyne North)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what contracts for manufacturing rolling stock in the UK there have been in each of the last five years; and what assessment he has made of the effect of such contracts on the North East.
Answered by Lord Johnson of Marylebone
A table is attached that sets out all UK rolling stock orders in each of the last five years. No assessment has been made of their effect on the North East, however the health and competitiveness of the UK rolling stock market means that these trains will deliver valuable benefits for both passengers and industry across the country.
Hitachi have been successful in winning large orders for new trains in both Scotland and England, and these are being assembled in their factory in the North-East. These orders are providing employment and opportunities for the local supply chain.