Asked by: Craig Whittaker (Conservative - Calder Valley)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the economic benefits to the Calder Valley of the award of the new Northern rail franchise.
Answered by Andrew Jones
The Calder Valley route between Manchester and Bradford will see more trains and faster journeys, with the weekday service frequency between Bradford and Manchester being enhanced by 50% (from two to three trains per hour), a significant increase in evening services, a doubling of Sunday service frequency from one to two trains per hour, and new direct links from Bradford to Manchester Airport and from Bradford to Liverpool.
Add this to the withdrawal of all Pacers by the end of 2019, an investment of £400 million in 281 brand newcarriages (some of which will operate on the new Bradford-Manchester Airport and Bradford-Liverpool services), and the refurbishment of the rest of the Northern fleet, we expect these enhancements to result in very substantial economic benefits for the area.
Asked by: Craig Whittaker (Conservative - Calder Valley)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans he has to create additional airport capacity in the north of England.
Answered by Robert Goodwill
It is for individual airports to put forward proposals for capacity expansion, taking careful account of all relevant considerations, particularly economic and environmental impacts. We therefore welcome the investment airports in the north of England are already making to increase capacity and improve terminals and passenger facilities.
Asked by: Craig Whittaker (Conservative - Calder Valley)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many train services on the Calder Valley rail line have been cancelled as a result of train reliability issues in the last 12 months.
Answered by Claire Perry
The Department for Transport does not usually hold information at this level of detail. However, the operator has on this occasion informed us that from mid-October to the beginning of December, 17 trains during the morning and evening peaks were cancelled as a result of train reliability issues on the Calder Valley rail line.
As one of the signatories to the Northern Franchise Agreement, West Yorkshire Combined Authority – who are responsible for specifying and sponsoring local rail services in West Yorkshire - may be able to supply the information requested to the level of detail you require. They can be contacted at West Yorkshire Combined Authority, Wellington House, 40-50 Wellington Street, Leeds LS1 2DE; by phone: 0113 251 7272 or email at enquiries@westyorks-ca.gov.uk.
Asked by: Craig Whittaker (Conservative - Calder Valley)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the economic benefits to local communities on the reopening of the Todmorden Curve rail link.
Answered by Andrew Jones
The reinstatement of this rail link was promoted by Lancashire County Council with support from the Regional Growth Fund. It has enabled the reintroduction of direct rail services between Blackburn, Accrington and Burnley to Manchester Victoria after 40 years, reducing journey times by 20 per cent, and delivering much needed economic benefits to East Lancashire.
Asked by: Craig Whittaker (Conservative - Calder Valley)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment he has made of road safety on the M62 motorway between junctions 21 and 23.
Answered by Andrew Jones
Highways England’s latest Route Safety Review indicates that the accident rate on the link between Junction 21 and Junction 22 slightly exceeds the level at which their safety scheme evaluation process is initiated. As a result, Highways England is programming a study to investigate these accidents further.
As part of the development of the M62 smart motorway scheme between Junction 20 to 25, the road infrastructure between Junctions 21 and 23 will be subject to detailed design review taking into account the road safety performance.
Asked by: Craig Whittaker (Conservative - Calder Valley)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make it his policy to allow bio-LPG enhanced certificates under the Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation.
Answered by Robert Goodwill
The Department for Transport has consulted on amendments to the Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation, which covers both road transport fuels (for any vehicle type including HGVs) and non-road mobile machinery. The consultation included proposals to increase support for a number of gaseous fuels including biopropane, a constituent of bio-LPG, provided such fuels meet the required sustainability criteria.
Further, if fuel is derived from waste, double the number of Renewable Transport Fuel Certificates (RTFCs) will be awarded (known as double counting). We have now published the Government response to that consultation. This makes clear that the Government intends to introduce legislation which would increase support for renewable gaseous fuels.
Asked by: Craig Whittaker (Conservative - Calder Valley)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans he has to promote the use of bio-LPG as a fuel for (a) heavy goods vehicles and (b) non-road-mobile machinery.
Answered by Robert Goodwill
The Department for Transport has consulted on amendments to the Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation, which covers both road transport fuels (for any vehicle type including HGVs) and non-road mobile machinery. The consultation included proposals to increase support for a number of gaseous fuels including biopropane, a constituent of bio-LPG, provided such fuels meet the required sustainability criteria.
Further, if fuel is derived from waste, double the number of Renewable Transport Fuel Certificates (RTFCs) will be awarded (known as double counting). We have now published the Government response to that consultation. This makes clear that the Government intends to introduce legislation which would increase support for renewable gaseous fuels.