Asked by: Jo Platt (Labour (Co-op) - Leigh and Atherton)
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
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 and Atherton)
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 - Shadow Leader of the House of Commons
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.
Asked by: Jo Platt (Labour (Co-op) - Leigh and Atherton)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to ensure the delivery of High Speed 2 uses resources manufactured in the UK; and what the Government's target is for the proportion of such resources manufactured in the UK.
Answered by Paul Maynard
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. The HS2 procurement process has energised the supply chain and created opportunities for businesses large and small right across the country.
HS2 Ltd ensures an open and fair procurement process which complies with UK procurement law and Government policies, including those for steel.
It is estimated that 25,000 jobs will be supported by the construction of HS2, including 2,000 new apprenticeships.
Asked by: Jo Platt (Labour (Co-op) - Leigh and Atherton)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent discussions he has had with (a) Transport for the North and (b) Transport for Greater Manchester on rail connectivity in Leigh; and what steps he is taking to improve rail connectivity in that region.
Answered by Paul Maynard
The Secretary of State has regular discussions with Transport for the North (TfN) and Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM), where a range of issues are discussed.
The Government’s Rail investment and HS2 programmes will lead to improved connectivity for the Greater Manchester area, including Wigan, Warrington, Bolton and central Manchester. Leigh will benefit from this.
TfGM are advancing their wider plans for connectivity across the city region through their Greater Manchester 2040 Transport Strategy and TfN has now been established as a statutory sub-national transport body to assess transport priorities in the region.
Asked by: Jo Platt (Labour (Co-op) - Leigh and Atherton)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the planned criteria are for the allocation of the £1.7bn Transforming Cities Fund to improve transport connectivity.
Answered by Jesse Norman - Shadow Leader of the House of Commons
As the Chancellor announced at Budget, Greater Manchester will receive £243 million from the Transforming Cities Fund. It will be for the Mayor and the Greater Manchester Combined Authority to decide whether to use this allocation to develop projects to improve connectivity in Leigh constituency. After allowing for allocations to the other Mayoral combined authorities, the remaining half of the fund will be open to bids from English cities.
Asked by: Jo Platt (Labour (Co-op) - Leigh and Atherton)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will allocate Transforming Cities funding to improve transport connectivity in Leigh constituency.
Answered by Jesse Norman - Shadow Leader of the House of Commons
As the Chancellor announced at Budget, Greater Manchester will receive £243 million from the Transforming Cities Fund. It will be for the Mayor and the Greater Manchester Combined Authority to decide whether to use this allocation to develop projects to improve connectivity in Leigh constituency. After allowing for allocations to the other Mayoral combined authorities, the remaining half of the fund will be open to bids from English cities.
Asked by: Jo Platt (Labour (Co-op) - Leigh and Atherton)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment his Department has made of the potential costs and benefits of installing a rail line and station to the town of Leigh.
Answered by Paul Maynard
The Department for Transport has not made an assessment of the potential costs and benefits of installing a rail line and station to the town of Leigh.
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. It would be for Transport for Greater Manchester to develop such plans and seek funding opportunities.
Asked by: Jo Platt (Labour (Co-op) - Leigh and Atherton)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions he has had with Transport for the North on plans to connect Leigh with the Northern Powerhouse Rail project.
Answered by Paul Maynard
The vision for Northern Powerhouse Rail is being developed in line with the 2015 Northern Transport Strategy developed jointly by the Government and Transport for the North. The Department has regular discussions with Transport for the North on Northern Powerhouse Rail (NPR) and we look forward to receiving their proposals next year. We understand that Transport for the North favours using HS2 as a core part of the NPR between Manchester and Liverpool, thus integrating HS2 and NPR and maximising use of the HS2 investment. Based on the HS2 route, that would preclude NPR services being routed via Leigh.
However, as part of the development of HS2, Leigh’s closest station, Wigan North Western, will be served by HS2 trains following completion of HS2 Phase One in 2026, and by 2033 will be served by HS2 trains from London, Birmingham, Preston and Scotland. This will benefit Leigh residents.
In addition the Government has provided Greater Manchester Combined Authority with £2.5m to develop HS2 Growth Strategies, which include plans for improving connectivity across Greater Manchester to the planned HS2 stations. Greater Manchester Combined Authority and Transport for Greater Manchester are advancing their wider plans for connectivity across the city region through their Greater Manchester 2040 Transport Strategy.
Asked by: Jo Platt (Labour (Co-op) - Leigh and Atherton)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will devolve management of the Northern Powerhouse Rail project to Transport for the North.
Answered by Paul Maynard
The Government has set up Transport for the North and is providing it with funding to develop Northern Powerhouse Rail proposals which improve journeys for transport users and provide good value for taxpayers’ money.
I am expecting to receive costed proposals with relevant business cases from TfN soon. The expectation is that any major proposals would be dependent on central Government funding. Therefore the Government must retain an approval role, ensuring that proposals are affordable and represent good value for taxpayers’ money.
It is in all of our interests that the Government and the North work collaboratively to improve transport in the region and we have an expectation that TfN will continue to work with the Department in developing its options.
Asked by: Jo Platt (Labour (Co-op) - Leigh and Atherton)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 14 November 2017 to Question 112096, on Railways: North of England, what assessment has been undertaken on the cases where serving locations on the planned Northern Powerhouse Rail between cities may enhance the business case, and therefore be beneficial.
Answered by Paul Maynard
In addition to the cities outlined in the March 2015 document “The Northern Powerhouse: One Agenda, One Economy, One North”, Transport for the North are considering whether other significant economic centres between these cities could be served by Northern Powerhouse Rail and enhance the business case. This includes assessing the economic benefits and costs of serving Warrington, Huddersfield, Bradford, York, Darlington and Durham.
These areas are being considered on the basis that they form significant markets in their own right and are geographically located on likely corridors that future NPR routes could take.
These considerations will form part of the business case for NPR which Transport for the North are preparing for the end of 2018.