Oral Answers to Questions Debate

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Department: Department for Transport

Oral Answers to Questions

Dan Carden Excerpts
Thursday 5th July 2018

(5 years, 8 months ago)

Commons Chamber
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John Bercow Portrait Mr Speaker
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A sentence perhaps—Mr Dan Carden.

Dan Carden Portrait Dan Carden (Liverpool, Walton) (Lab)
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Thank you, Mr Speaker.

Northern powerhouse rail would transform rail journeys for passengers in Liverpool, with journey times to Manchester cut to 20 minutes, but it simply cannot happen without the electrification of the trans-Pennine line. So instead of playing party politics with the numbers, does the Minister not realise that his Government will be judged on the major infrastructure projects that they complete?

Lord Johnson of Marylebone Portrait Joseph Johnson
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We are just completing the £1 billion investment in the great north rail project, which included significant electrification of the Liverpool to Manchester route. We are now about to embark on the next control period for rail, in which we will spend £2.9 billion on the trans-Pennine route upgrade. This is the single largest enhancement programme across the entire country, representing a third of all such spending.