Asked by: Jo Platt (Labour (Co-op) - Leigh)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment his Department has made of the (a) feasibility, (b) cost and (c) potential merits of a loop railway line to connect Leigh constituency with the Chat Moss railway line.
Answered by Lord Johnson of Marylebone
I refer the Hon Member for Leigh to the answer given by the then Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, the Hon Member for Blackpool North and Cleveleys (Paul Maynard) of 28 November 2017 (UIN 114760).
Asked by: Jo Platt (Labour (Co-op) - Leigh)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment his Department has made of the potential future capacity on the Chat Moss railway line as a result of the plans for the Northern Powerhouse Rail; and whether those plans include the opening of additional stations on that line.
Answered by Paul Maynard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
Any assessment of the potential for future capacity on the Chat Moss line as a result of the plans for Northern Powerhouse Rail will depend on (i) the route options between Liverpool to Manchester, (ii) what intermediate destinations are served and (iii) how that option interacts with related portions of the classic rail network. These factors are being considered by Transport for the North as part of the development of the Strategic Outline Business Case for Northern Powerhouse Rail which is due to be developed by the end of 2018.
Asked by: Jo Platt (Labour (Co-op) - Leigh)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 7 December to Question 116379, for what reasons his Department will not specify whether Leigh was discussed as part of the range of issues discussed between his Department, Transport for Greater Manchester and Transport for the North.
Answered by Paul Maynard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
As stated previously, the Secretary of State has regular meetings with both Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) and Transport for the North (TfN) where a range of issues are discussed.
We do not comment on the issues that are discussed at individual meetings, regardless of the subject.
This is to enable full and frank discussions between the Government and our partners at TfN and TfGM.
Asked by: Jo Platt (Labour (Co-op) - Leigh)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment his Department has made of the (a) feasibility, (b) cost and (c) social and economic benefit of reopening Golborne railway station.
Answered by Paul Maynard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Department has made no such assessment at the current time regarding re-opening Golborne railway station.
However, the Government is working with local authorities and other partners to identify the best new rail projects that can unlock new housing and economic growth, ease overcrowding, meet future demand and offer good value for money.
Asked by: Jo Platt (Labour (Co-op) - Leigh)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 29 November 2017 to Question 114759, on railways: Greater Manchester, how Leigh will benefit from improved rail connectivity in the Greater Manchester area.
Answered by Paul Maynard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
Leigh will benefit from the improvements to be delivered to services at its nearest rail stations including Atherton, which will see an increase in the level of weekday train service to four trains per hour using newly refurbished trains.
Asked by: Jo Platt (Labour (Co-op) - Leigh)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 29 November 2017 to Question 114943, whether his Department has set a target for the proportion of resources manufactured in the UK that will be used to construct High Speed 2.
Answered by Paul Maynard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
As referred to in the response to Question 114943, HS2 Ltd has made it a priority to engage with British firms through trade associations and business networks so that they are ready to compete for the opportunities offered by HS2 as part of an open, fair and transparent procurement process, which will deliver best value for money for the taxpayer.
The current HS2 Tier 1 supply chain is comprised of 1,498 suppliers, of which 98 per cent are UK suppliers (based on postcode of registered address) and 69 per cent are small and medium size enterprise suppliers (based on turnover). A significant component in High Speed 2 construction will be that of steel. The Secretary of State has said that he expects to match the existing record of 95 per cent of steel in rail being UK steel.
Asked by: Jo Platt (Labour (Co-op) - Leigh)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 29 November 2017 to Question 114759, on railways: Greater Manchester, whether as part of the range of issues discussed his Department discussed with Transport for the North and Transport for Greater Manchester transport connectivity in Leigh was specifically discussed.
Answered by Paul Maynard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Secretary of State has regular meetings with Transport for the North and Transport for Greater Manchester, where a range of issues are discussed.
We do not comment on the issues that are discussed at individual meetings.
Asked by: Jo Platt (Labour (Co-op) - Leigh)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 28 November 2017 to Question 114760, on railways: Leigh, whether his Department will commit to make an assessment of the costs and benefits of a direct train line and station to the town of Leigh.
Answered by Paul Maynard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Government’s policy is that it is for local authorities and Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs) to determine the best way to meet local transport needs and take the first step in evaluating benefits and prioritising available resources. We are happy to work with promoters to develop their scheme to ensure that it is deliverable and gives value for money as well as being affordable.
Promoters of new stations are directed to the recent research document published by the Campaign for Better Transport “Expanding the Railways”. Endorsed by the Department, this provides advice and guidance to organisations seeking to open or reopen railway lines and stations.
Asked by: Jo Platt (Labour (Co-op) - Leigh)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 28 November to Question 114760, on railway: Leigh, what criteria his Department uses to commission an assessment into the costs and benefits of a direct train line and station to an area.
Answered by Paul Maynard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Government’s policy is that it is for local authorities and Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs) to determine the best way to meet local transport needs and take the first step in evaluating benefits and prioritising available resources. We are happy to work with promoters to develop their scheme to ensure that it is deliverable and gives value for money as well as being affordable.
Promoters of new stations are directed to the recent research document published by the Campaign for Better Transport “Expanding the Railways”. Endorsed by the Department, this provides advice and guidance to organisations seeking to open or reopen railway lines and stations.
Asked by: Jo Platt (Labour (Co-op) - Leigh)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to improve transport links between inner cities and suburban towns.
Answered by Jesse Norman
The Government has announced a £1.7 billion Transforming Cities Fund to improve intra-urban connectivity within English city regions and boost productivity. Half of the fund will be allocated to the six mayoral combined authorities on a per capita basis, with the remainder allocated by competition.