Asked by: Esther McVey (Conservative - Tatton)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when he intends to publish the HS2 Local Growth Action Plan; and whether that plan will be extended to include places that will host stations for Phase 2b of HS2 and the infrastructure they will require.
Answered by Huw Merriman - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
The Government continues to develop the HS2 Local Growth Action Plan. The Department has taken more time to develop the plan and allow for cross-governmental input, and it will be published this year. In the Autumn Statement, the Chancellor of the Exchequer confirmed that the Government remains committed to delivering HS2 to Manchester. The action plan will set out how we will continue to work closely with places that will host stations, including those on the Phase 2b route, to support their local growth ambitions and help to implement lessons learnt across the HS2 programme.
Asked by: Esther McVey (Conservative - Tatton)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, for what reason the Government has not published the HS2 Local Growth Action Plan.
Answered by Huw Merriman - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
The Government continues to develop the HS2 Local Growth Action Plan. The Department has taken more time to develop the plan and allow for cross-governmental input, and it will be published this year. In the Autumn Statement, the Chancellor of the Exchequer confirmed that the Government remains committed to delivering HS2 to Manchester. The action plan will set out how we will continue to work closely with places that will host stations, including those on the Phase 2b route, to support their local growth ambitions and help to implement lessons learnt across the HS2 programme.
Asked by: Esther McVey (Conservative - Tatton)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much power HS2 trains will need to run across each of the phases.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
We estimate that the HS2 network will require approximately 1 TWh of energy per annum at the completion of Phase 1/2a, and approximately a total of 2.5 TWh at the completion of Phase 2b. This will be subject to power usage specification of the Rolling Stock, and the findings of the Integrated Rail Plan (IRP). We routinely consider forecast growth in electricity demand, which includes the energy requirements of HS2.
Asked by: Esther McVey (Conservative - Tatton)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent estimate his Department has made of the area of land required for the HS2 project including depots, facilities and stations.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The latest estimate for the total permanent and temporary land requirement for the HS2 scheme, across Phases One, 2a and 2b (Western Leg), is 129.47 sqkm (this will include a degree of overlap between phases).
This is broken down between phases as follows, noting that the figures for the land required for Phase One and 2a are based on the design as at Royal Assent of the hybrid Bills for those phases, while the estimate for Phase 2b (Western Leg) is at a much lower level of design maturity as temporary and permanent land requirements for the scheme are being refined. The current estimates are as follows:
Phase 1 – 68.74 sqkm (excludes depots at Langley and Longsite)
Phase 2a – 29.20 sqkm
Phase 2b west – 31.53 sqkm
Asked by: Esther McVey (Conservative - Tatton)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many villages the HS2 route travels through; and what recent assessment the Government has made of the impact on housing supply in those villages.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
HS2 aims to avoid residential areas but HS2 Ltd does not categorise the different types of residential areas that lie along its route.
HS2 will act as a catalyst for growth and regeneration in and around the major cities it connects, creating opportunities to develop new homes in close proximity to station sites.
Asked by: Esther McVey (Conservative - Tatton)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many homes have been compulsorily purchased by HS2 Ltd.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Using compulsory purchasing powers, HS2 Ltd have permanently acquired 27.28 sq km of land on Phase 1. As an acquisition may be land only or may contain a mixed-use property or properties, HS2 Ltd do not record how many contain ‘homes’. For example a farm can be (or have within it properties which are) residential, commercial, and/or agricultural, whilst the land itself could be agricultural, industrial and/or woodland. Similarly, a pub can be (and often is) both residential and commercial.
Asked by: Esther McVey (Conservative - Tatton)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department has made an assessment of the need to bring forward the 2029 deadline for Network Rail to install tactile indicators across operational platforms.
Answered by Chris Heaton-Harris - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
We have continued to support the Access for All programme that upgrades railway stations, including Handforth station, for disabled passengers, and also for those with visual impairments.
I have asked Network Rail to develop a programme to aim to install platform edge tactile strips on every platform in Great Britain.
I will make a further announcement in due course.
Asked by: Esther McVey (Conservative - Tatton)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent discussions he has had with representatives of Network Rail on work to improve station platforms for passengers with impaired vision.
Answered by Chris Heaton-Harris - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
We have continued to support the Access for All programme that upgrades railway stations, including Handforth station, for disabled passengers, and also for those with visual impairments.
I have asked Network Rail to develop a programme to aim to install platform edge tactile strips on every platform in Great Britain.
I will make a further announcement in due course.
Asked by: Esther McVey (Conservative - Tatton)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment his Department has made of the suitability of station platforms in (a) Tatton constituency and (b) England for passengers with impaired vision.
Answered by Chris Heaton-Harris - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
We have continued to support the Access for All programme that upgrades railway stations, including Handforth station, for disabled passengers, and also for those with visual impairments.
I have asked Network Rail to develop a programme to aim to install platform edge tactile strips on every platform in Great Britain.
I will make a further announcement in due course.
Asked by: Esther McVey (Conservative - Tatton)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department has taken to support National Rail to complete improvements to station platforms in Tatton constituency that are hazardous to passengers with impaired vision.
Answered by Chris Heaton-Harris - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
We have continued to support the Access for All programme that upgrades railway stations, including Handforth station, for disabled passengers, and also for those with visual impairments.
I have asked Network Rail to develop a programme to aim to install platform edge tactile strips on every platform in Great Britain.
I will make a further announcement in due course.