Northern Powerhouse Rail

Heidi Alexander Excerpts

Wednesday 14th January 2026 Commons Chamber

[The Secretary of State for Transport (Heidi Alexander)]

With permission, I would like to make a statement on the Government’s plans for Northern Powerhouse Rail. I realise that I am not the first Minister to talk about transforming infrastructure in the north of England, and I get why people there are sick to the back teeth of Westminster politicians promising the earth and delivering absolutely nothing because parties, whether that means the Tories or Reform, lack ambition and are incapable of doing, or are unwilling to do, the hard yards of delivery. That ends today.

It has been over a decade since the then Conservative Chancellor pledged a transport system fit for a northern powerhouse, and what came of it? We had High Speed 2 to Manchester and Leeds—both promised, both axed—rail services have let down commuters, and we have a railway still reliant on diesel trains and two-track Victorian infrastructure. We had levelling up, the integrated rail plan and Network North—just empty slogans, and emptier pockets to pay for them.

That gulf between rhetoric and reality has consequences. An unbalanced economy does not just affect growth; it strikes at the heart of the fairer country that we want to be. Political choices made over decades mean that a 40-mile commute to Manchester is a world away from a similar journey into London. Take Liverpool, which has only two fast trains an hour to Manchester; a direct rail journey from Liverpool to Manchester airport takes an hour and 25 minutes, when it is only 28 miles away. Or take Leeds, which is still the largest city in western Europe without mass transit; only a third of the population can reach the city centre in 30 minutes.

We are finally consigning this sorry political legacy to the bonfire of history. No previous Government have acted as swiftly and decisively to back northern leaders. We have made the largest ever investment in local transport. We have given the go-ahead to road and rail projects across the north, and we are allocating billions of pounds in pothole funding to local leaders across this Parliament. Today, Mr Speaker, we are going further. After years of under-investment in the north’s rail network, I am proud to announce that we will deliver Northern Powerhouse Rail.

This is a generational commitment, building on the ongoing trans-Pennine route upgrade. We will invest up to a further £45 billion to create a turn-up-and-go railway along the northern growth corridor of Liverpool, Manchester, Bradford, Leeds and Sheffield, as well as York. There will be regular services onward to Newcastle and Hull, and to Chester for connections to north Wales.

Make no mistake: NPR will transform how people travel. We will end the hour-long waits if people miss their train. We will attract more people to a railway that will be faster, more accessible and more frequent than ever before. For northerners who have long complained about being treated as second-class citizens, my message is simple: those days are over.

This is an ambitious long-term programme, but it is not HS2 reheated. I stood at the Dispatch Box last year and said that we would learn the lessons of that infrastructure project, and I meant it. Unlike the previous Government’s Network North plan, which was announced without so much as a phone call to the mayors, we have been working directly with them on developing the proposals. I am proud to announce that every single one of those mayors is backing the plan today.

I am clear that NPR will not be a central Government vanity project. It will be rooted in northern communities, and designed, developed and delivered from the bottom up. We will also take the time to get this right. That starts with agreeing mature, stable designs as well as consents, all before construction. Finally, unlike HS2, this is not about the fastest line at any cost. Northern Powerhouse Rail will be the shoulders of this nation’s rail network, improving services across the north and beyond.

Let me now turn to delivery. We are making £1.1 billion available to develop NPR over the next four years. This will proceed in three phases, sequenced so that passengers experience a better railway as soon as possible. The first phase will prioritise electrification and upgrades east of the Pennines for delivery in the 2030s. That covers the Leeds-Bradford, Sheffield-Leeds and Leeds-York corridors, including the stations. Alongside NPR, we will develop the business case for the Leamside line, as part of our broader plans for the north. I pay tribute to my hon. Friend the Member for Washington and Gateshead South (Mrs Hodgson), who has been campaigning on this for over 20 years.

Phase 1’s benefits will be clear. It means pressing forward with plans for a new station in Bradford, with funding secured to take it forward subject to business case, and it means working with local leaders on a redesigned York station masterplan. I would like to recognise the work carried out by Lord Blunkett in his Yorkshire plan for rail. It was his vision, endorsed by the white rose mayors, that informed our plan for phase 1, and I am proud that Lord Blunkett is backing our plans today.

Work also starts now for the second phase, west of the Pennines, with major construction planned for the 2030s. It includes a new route, and a predominantly new line, between Liverpool and Manchester. This will run via new stations, improving access to Manchester airport from across the north and north Wales, and to Warrington Bank Quay, with plans to deliver thousands of new homes. I have today instructed my officials to immediately resume work on the adapted hybrid Bill, so that we can reach planning consent for the parts of the route in Manchester. These plans align with the prospectus of the Liverpool-Manchester Railway Board, and I would like to thank all of the board’s members, including the chair, former Rail Minister Huw Merriman, who is also backing our plans today.

The third phase, which takes us to the 2040s, will improve connectivity across the Pennines, over and above the trans-Pennine route upgrade currently under way. I see Bradford to Manchester, Leeds to Manchester, and Sheffield to Manchester as key routes that we will upgrade.

If we are to secure Britain’s long-term growth, we must also recognise that future capacity and connectivity is needed along other major routes, such as the west coast main line, and ensure that this is reflected in our decision making now. I can therefore confirm this Government’s long-term aim to see a full new north-south line from Birmingham to Manchester. That is one of the reasons why we have chosen the Liverpool to Manchester route, as put forward by local mayors, because it is the only route that properly preserves our ability ultimately to build a new line south to address longer-term congestion and crowding challenges on the west coast main line.

Again, this plan will not be a revival of HS2, and no decisions have been taken on the specification or timetable. In the meantime, we will retain land that the Government have already purchased between the west midlands and Crewe. This will be an incremental programme of change, and delivery will be taken forward after NPR has been built. Nevertheless, I believe that laying out our strategy now is sensible, responsible and in the long-term interests of the country.

Today we are announcing a second rail revolution in the very region that gave us the first. The north powered Britain’s past, and it can lead this country’s future. This plan is a downpayment on the north’s potential and part of a broader growth drive to lift the region’s productivity, boost living standards and add tens of billions to the UK economy. At the heart of this lies connectivity, because only by strengthening the links between our northern cities and bringing their pools of talent closer together can the region begin to rival the other major growth corridors in Europe.

Too many northerners still face the choice of either staying at home and putting aspiration on hold or moving away in search of a better future. I say no more unfair choices and no more missed opportunities. Today we start delivering Northern Powerhouse Rail, and I commend this statement to the House.

[Mr Speaker]

I call the shadow Minister.

[Jerome Mayhew (Broadland and Fakenham) (Con)]

May I thank the Secretary of State for advance sight of her statement? She started the statement by saying that people are sick to the back teeth of Westminster politicians promising the earth and delivering absolutely nothing—and then she did exactly that. We on the Opposition Benches know what the right hon. Lady’s statement marks today. It is not a strategy for the north or a genuine commitment to a project costed at £46 billion back in 2019, as the current Prime Minister then promised; instead, it is a flagrant attempt to silence their party’s restless northern mayors, while Labour Ministers, who came into office with no plan to deliver on their promises, butcher the Budget.

Let us get straight to the point. The Secretary of State can bluster all she likes, but where Northern Powerhouse Rail is concerned, we have no construction start dates, no completion dates, no published or costed route map, no sequencing, no idea who will pay, or by how much, and no certainty at all, except that it will not be what Labour promised ahead of the election. She says that this is a generational commitment. Well, at this rate it will turn out to be a multigenerational commitment. If the Prime Minister wanted to deliver what he actually promised in opposition, he knows that he would have another black hole of billions, such is the genuine uncertainty caused to the sector by this announcement.

What we have is a commitment to fiddling with the paperwork without any secure investment for the actual project, yet the right hon. Lady expects this House to believe that this is some sort of investment in the north. She and her Ministers must be delighted that the Mayor of Greater Manchester overplayed his hand at the Labour party conference last year. Today he feels constrained to profess loyalty to the Prime Minister, perhaps with wonderment at his generosity—that is in public, but we all know what he is doing in private.

Does the right hon. Lady take this House, her own Back Benchers and the voting public for fools? Whether she does or not, the Prime Minister certainly does. He wrote in The Yorkshire Post, with some gall, that this announcement is

“a serious plan backed by billions of pounds of investment”,

when we know from this statement that it is not. Can the right hon. Lady confirm how a £45 billion cap on a scheme costed as being way more expensive than that back in 2019 can possibly deliver projects already estimated to cost so much more than that value? What guarantees exist that schemes will be completed in full? When will this House finally be given the detail that it deserves? Perhaps she ought to remind the Prime Minister what he told The Yorkshire Post back in 2019, when he promised to deliver Northern Powerhouse Rail in full.

Today’s announcement offers nothing better than dither, delay and a further decade away from spades in the ground. How can the Secretary of State and the Prime Minister pretend that this is the delivery of Northern Powerhouse Rail when it is anything but that? By their own admission, no budget has been set out. The cap in funding gives no confidence that funding that will have to be raised from the private sector or through local taxes is in place. Can the Secretary of State tell the House which local taxes will have to rise, and by how much, to fill the gap created by her own £45 billion cap?

I know that the Secretary of State, like me, cares deeply about ensuring that Parliament is told the whole truth, but perhaps on this occasion it is the Prime Minister himself who should be lauded. He has said, time and again, that the cuts and downgrades that this Government have foreshadowed today represent nothing more than

“a betrayal of the North”.

Is it not the case that this is a strategy from a desperate Government to make a cut appear to be an investment, and to attempt to save face with the British public? Spending months and months hiding their mealy-mouthed plans, only to reveal them with bluster and misplaced confidence, is a sad indictment of a sorry Government.

To come to this House today without dates, budgets or a plan for how to raise shortfalls after the cap is, frankly, pitiful. To spin this as a plan for the future is a disgrace, and one of which the Secretary of State should be ashamed. She cannot escape the fact that her party came into power with no plan on how to deliver on its promises, and its complete ineptitude in managing the public finances means that it is now having to U-turn on those promises. If the metro mayors and Back Benchers had any backbone, then rather than gelatinously jostling for position under the next Labour leader, they would acknowledge the truth in what I have said and call out this betrayal.

[Heidi Alexander]

I cannot believe what I have just heard, to be honest. I know that the hon. Gentleman is standing in for the shadow Transport Secretary, the right hon. Member for Basildon and Billericay (Mr Holden), but I really hoped that he would have done a bit better than that.

The hon. Gentleman talks about no budget being set out. We have set out £1.1 billion to be spent over the next four years, which is far more than his Government ever spent on Northern Powerhouse Rail in the 14 years in which they had an opportunity to make improvements to the rail network in the north of England. If that is the way the Conservatives approach basic maths when we are spending more than £1 billion, I can see why the public booted them out of office at the last election.

We are working in collaboration with local mayors. We have agreed with them that where they see opportunity to boost economic growth beyond the core scope of the Northern Powerhouse Rail proposals, we will work with them to agree local contributions so that the full benefits of this investment can be realised.

More generally, this is a classic case of the hon. Gentleman writing the questions without listening to the announcement. We are delivering Northern Powerhouse Rail in full. We have set out our plans in full, we are funding NPR in full, and we will deliver it.

The hon. Gentleman mentions the previous Government and their aspirations. Let me remind the House of what that actually amounted to—the plan that got the location of Manchester wrong on a map, promised new tramlines that had already been built, and diverted funding away from the north to fix potholes in the south. That plan was not worth the paper it was written on, so we will take no lessons on this matter from the Conservatives.

If the hon. Gentleman will not listen to me, maybe he will listen to the people who run our great city regions in the north. The Mayors of West Yorkshire, South Yorkshire and North Yorkshire said that

“we welcome the government’s once in a generation commitment to improving transport across the North”.

The Mayor of the Liverpool City Region said:

“After more than a decade of dither, delay and broken promises, this is the start of a new era, with a genuinely strategic approach and a government finally backing Northern Powerhouse Rail in full.”

The Mayor of Greater Manchester said,

“Finally, we have a government with an ambitious vision for the North”

and a

“firm commitment to Northern Powerhouse Rail”.

Let me quote one more person:

“NPR is a project I’ve long championed…so it is excellent to see the government backing it in full”.

Those are not the words of a Labour mayor or a Labour Minister; they are the words of former Conservative Rail Minister Huw Merriman. Our plans are backed by the mayors, by business leaders, and by the Conservatives’ own former Rail Minister. That tells us everything we need to know about who is delivering for the north and who never did.

[Mr Speaker]

I call the Chair of the Transport Committee.

[Ruth Cadbury (Brentford and Isleworth) (Lab)]

This is another hugely welcome transport statement from the Secretary of State for Transport and her team. Today’s announcement promises levels of rail connectivity for communities from Merseyside to Tyneside that will compare to those of the London travel to work area. The question that I and many others have is: when will we see more details about the timescales and potential funding sources for phases 1 and 2 and, most importantly, phase 3—linking Birmingham with the Northern Powerhouse Rail network, which is so desperately needed and was so cruelly and ridiculously cancelled by the Conservative party in government—so that we can relieve the pressure on the west coast main line and link up London and Birmingham with the cities of the north?

[Heidi Alexander]

The Chair of the Transport Committee is completely right that the proposals we are announcing today will deliver rail services for the north that are comparable to those in London and the south-east—a “turn up and go” railway where people do not have to check the timetable before they go to the station, because they know that a train will be there within a reasonable timeframe and that if they miss their train, they will not have to wait an hour for the next one. She is right to press me on when more information about the different phases will become available. The first phase of improvement relates to the corridors into Leeds from Sheffield, Bradford and York; we will be progressing with urgency on those, as well as the plans for the new line between Manchester and Liverpool. Phase 3 of NPR relates to further trans-Pennine improvements beyond the trans-Pennine route upgrade, and we will say more in due course about our plans for Birmingham to Manchester, noting that the delivery of those plans will come after NPR has been completed.

[Mr Speaker]

I call the Liberal Democrat spokesperson.

[Tim Farron (Westmorland and Lonsdale) (LD)]

I have read the statement—I am very grateful for early sight of it—and have listened to the Secretary of State carefully. The Liberal Democrats are massive supporters of Northern Powerhouse Rail, but all that is really concrete in this statement is just over £1 billion so that we can spend the next four years planning to perhaps come up with another plan.

The failure of the previous Conservative Government to deliver infrastructure projects such as this and HS2 was utterly depressing and embarrassing. However, I hope the Secretary of State will understand the scepticism of many of us in the north—not just Liberal Democrat Members—who fear that this Government are also being worryingly pedestrian, lacking the determination to deliver vital projects such as these, and that high-speed rail for the north will be delivered at a snail’s pace if we are lucky. Would I be right to surmise from the Secretary of State’s announcement that while we will see upgrades in the 2030s—still a long time away—we will not see trains running on the new track much before 2045? What confidence can she give us that we will not see even more slippage in that timetable? What guarantees can she give us that we will not see a repeat of the Conservatives’ approach of stop-start, stop-start, stop-start, and then cancel?

Finally, I remind the Minister that the north of England does not stop at the M62. While we are proud of our cities of Leeds, Manchester and Liverpool, the biggest visitor destination in the north of England is Cumbria, yet there is not a single mention of either Cumbria or Lancashire in the statement. It contains nothing about the vital upgrades needed to the west coast main line north of Warrington, especially in light of the recent derailment at Shap, and we continue to wait for the Government to invest in the all-important lakes line to Windermere, where a simple passing loop at Burneside would double the line’s capacity at a fraction of the cost of Northern Powerhouse Rail, directly connecting Manchester airport to the heart of the English Lake district. Will the Minister agree to meet me to discuss these vital projects, to help prove that this Government’s concern for the north includes the actual north?

[Heidi Alexander]

I can assure the hon. Gentleman that we are getting on with this, and we will see these improvements delivered. I do not share his cynicism that we will spend the next four years simply coming up with a plan; the £1.1 billion that has been allocated is for land acquisitions and early preparatory works on the Yorkshire schemes. We will see delivery in the 2030s, with passengers seeing the benefits of some of those schemes, but I will not make the same mistakes as the last Government made with HS2. They let contracts before the scope of schemes had been finalised, which was essentially a free meal ticket for building contractors. We will take the time to do this properly and spend taxpayer money wisely. Of course I want to see the delivery of rail infrastructure speeded up, but I also want to ensure that every single penny that this Government spend is well spent.

The hon. Gentleman asked whether I could reassure him about the stop-start nature of plans being drawn up and then delivered. We have taken our time to come up with a credible, sequenced, prioritised programme of improvements, in stark contrast to the previous Government. I can assure him that this is a plan for the whole of the north of England, and when it comes to our Government’s commitment to Cumbria, I gently remind him that the Department for Transport has invested over £13 million in Carlisle station, Cumberland has received an £18 million multi-year bus funding deal, and £10 million has been spent on a Borders rail viability study. The hon. Gentleman should remember that we are investing across the north of England in improving public transport for the travelling public.

[Mr Speaker]

I call Lucy Powell.

[Lucy Powell (Manchester Central) (Lab/Co-op)]

Thank you very much, Mr Speaker—it is nice to speak from the Back Benches for the first time in a very long time. I strongly welcome this commitment to Northern Powerhouse Rail and the vision that underpins it. This will be game-changing for the north after decades of under-investment and poor connectivity; after years and years of indecision by the Conservative party, this really is going to transform lives. Does the Secretary of State agree that in order to ensure long-term reliability and capacity for generations to come, we have to solve the problem of Manchester Piccadilly station? That station finally having through capacity in an underground station will truly unlock connectivity between Liverpool, Leeds, Sheffield and Manchester airport and unlock the real potential of all regions across the north.

[Heidi Alexander]

I am grateful to my right hon. Friend for her contribution. She talks about Manchester Piccadilly; I am reminded of the words of Mayor Andy Burnham, who has said to me that he sees the potential of that station to be a King’s Cross for the north. I agree with my right hon. Friend that we need to resolve the issue of throughput through that station, and I will be working very closely with the mayor on plans for that station, to ensure we unlock the regeneration at the heart of the great city of Manchester that we are all united in wanting to see.

[Robbie Moore (Keighley and Ilkley) (Con)]

I have spent years fighting to ensure that Bradford is at the heart of the north’s rail network, so I very much welcome today’s announcement. However, after decades of empty promises for the north from Whitehall, my constituents also need clarity. We have seen 13 U-turns in 18 months from this Government, including on the West Yorkshire tram network, so how much will be spent specifically on the Bradford station project, and when will that project be completed? With at least four general elections between now and 2045, which is the period of time that this statement relates to, my constituents and I are worried that this is simply another future U-turn.

[Heidi Alexander]

I can wholeheartedly assure the hon. Member that this announcement is good news for Bradford station. I have been working closely with Councillor Susan Hinchcliffe, the leader of Bradford Council, and Tracy Brabin, the Mayor of West Yorkshire. We will be pressing forward with the work that is already under way with the council on a business case for Bradford station, and I am conscious that in doing so, we will be putting a young, dynamic city of 500,000 people at the heart of the northern rail network. We expect to reach decisions on the station by summer of this year, and we have made funding available to then move forward into detailed design, subject to the conclusions of that business case.

[Mike Kane (Wythenshawe and Sale East) (Lab)]

February will represent the 25th anniversary of the opening of the second runway at Manchester airport in my constituency, with capacity for 60 million passengers. Does the Secretary of State agree that his announcement will finally allow the airport to achieve its full potential?

[Heidi Alexander]

I wholeheartedly agree with my good friend. The selection of the route between Liverpool and Manchester was to a large degree determined by the importance of providing better connectivity to Manchester airport, not just for people in the north-west, but those travelling across the Pennines from other parts of the north of England. It has the potential to be a real generator of economic output, and I look forward to working with him further on the proposals, given how dear that airport is to him and his constituents.

[Tom Gordon (Harrogate and Knaresborough) (LD)]

I completely disagree with the shadow Minister, the hon. Member for Broadland and Fakenham (Jerome Mayhew) in his comments about the betrayal of the north by this Labour Government. While this plan is not by any means perfect, it is a damn sight better than what we saw from the last Government. At last week’s Transport questions, I pressed the Minister about the improvements to the York area capacity scheme and was told that it was not ruled out. I was surprised to see no mention in the statement and the documents circulated today of that York area capacity scheme, which would relieve pressure and congestion at Skelton junction. That would improve the rail network and connectivity across the north. Will the Secretary of State rule out the cancellation of the Skelton junction improvements, commit to ensuring that they are part of the scheme going forward, and tell us why they were not mentioned today?

[Heidi Alexander]

In the announcement today, we are ruling things in; we are not excluding funding things through other funding sources. We will be setting out in the normal way such things as future rail network enhancement programme funding. I am happy to continue the conversation with the hon. Member about the further benefits we can bring to the York area. One benefit of NPR in particular will be to work with David Skaith, the Mayor of York and North Yorkshire, on the masterplan for York station and the massive brownfield regeneration opportunity—one of the largest in Europe—that lies directly next to that station.

[Several hon. Members rose—]

[Jim McMahon (Oldham West, Chadderton and Royton) (Lab/Co-op)]

This statement is welcome. The north of England has been held back for far too long, with our people and economy not being allowed to realise their full potential. The commitment to properly review the Manchester Piccadilly underground proposal alongside the Mayor of Greater Manchester is also welcome. Without that scheme, it leaves one route in and one route out, with trains forced to turn back on to the network. It is slower, second rate and not something the north can support. First, can we have more detail on the Manchester airport local contribution and how we will ensure it is fair and at a level that can be raised locally? Secondly, can we have a clearer idea on the timescales for the Birmingham to Manchester line?

[Heidi Alexander]

I can assure my hon. Friend that we will be having detailed conversations with local partners, including Manchester airport, and we will ensure that any contribution is fair and locally agreed. It is important that organisations that will benefit directly from the improvement of rail links make a contribution, and I look forward to those discussions happening in the coming months and years. He asks about the timing for the Manchester to Birmingham element of the route. I have been clear that the priority for investment is the three stages of Northern Powerhouse Rail. The improvements to Birmingham to Manchester would come after those schemes have completed construction in the 2040s.

[Martin Vickers (Brigg and Immingham) (Con)]

Sadly, we have heard all this before. I admit that some of the last Government’s ambitious proposals have not come to fruition, but the Labour Government are now finding that it is easy to criticise. I do not recall that the criticism coming from Labour Members when we were in power was, “Don’t worry, by 2050 we can solve the problem.” They were saying that they had immediate answers. I suggest that, instead of these ambitious proposals, the Secretary of State announces something that she can deliver. If she shook her petty cash tin, she could find the few thousand pounds she would need to extend the King’s Cross to Lincoln service through to Grimsby and Cleethorpes, and so boost the local economy there—

[Mr Speaker]

Order. Come on! The hon. Member seems to be making a statement—there is not even a question in there. Secretary of State, I am sure you can rustle up a quick answer.

[Heidi Alexander]

I will ask the Rail Minister to write to the hon. Gentleman and update him on the particular scheme that he is advocating.

[Mrs Sharon Hodgson (Washington and Gateshead South) (Lab)]

I welcome this fantastic announcement, particularly regarding the Leamside line, which runs from Pelaw in Gateshead through my constituency in Washington and on to Ferryhill in County Durham, and it is the line that will finally bring the metro to Washington, which I have campaigned on since I first stood to be an MP back in 2005. This investment will be transformative for my constituents and the whole north-east, so although we are still a little way off spades in the ground, does the Secretary of State agree that this truly is the difference that a Labour Government—together with Kim McGuinness, our Labour Mayor of the North East—make?

[Heidi Alexander]

May I just pay tribute once again to my hon. Friend for campaigning for the Leamside line over a long time? I recall her excitement when we announced the extension of the Tyne and Wear metro to Washington as part of the spending review, and I look forward to working with her further as we look at the business case for reopening the Leamside line, which closed many decades ago.

[Lisa Smart (Hazel Grove) (LD)]

Safe, reliable and affordable railways are vital for economic growth in communities like mine. I welcome the Secretary of State’s statement, because for too long we have not seen that investment in our northern communities. For too long, our infrastructure has been neglected and, as a result, our northern communities have not been able to fulfil their potential. I will build on what some Greater Manchester colleagues have been asking about Manchester Piccadilly. Some of the enabling work around Ardwick and Ashburys would unlock improved services to communities like mine on the Rose Hill line, or maybe even a tram-train to Marple. How can the Secretary of State ensure that communities like mine can feed in, so that this project reaches its full potential and gets a 10 out of 10, rather than a mediocre “meh”?

[Heidi Alexander]

One reason we have taken our time to work with the local mayors is so that we can properly ensure that the improvements to inter-city connections that will be delivered through NPR can be integrated with local improvements. Mayors in the north of England have had a multibillion-pound settlement through transport for city regions funding. To unlock regeneration in many of the towns and cities with untapped potential, we need to that integration right.

[Imran Hussain (Bradford East) (Lab)]

I strongly welcome this statement, which recognises that Bradford, one of the largest and youngest cities, cannot be left behind any longer. I, along with my colleagues Madam Deputy Speaker—my hon. Friend the Member for Bradford South (Judith Cummins)—and the leader of Bradford council, have campaigned for more than a decade for a new station and better connectivity. We cannot have Bradford waiting another two decades. Can the Secretary of State confirm that the new station and that connectivity will be part of phase 1 of this programme?

[Heidi Alexander]

My hon. Friend has championed the station in Bradford enormously over recent years, and I can assure him that we will press forward with the work that is already under way with the council on a business case for the station. We will reach decisions by the summer of this year. We have made funding available to then move forward into detailed design, pending those decisions.

[Sarah Pochin (Runcorn and Helsby) (Reform)]

As a north-west MP, I of course welcome all efforts to improve connectivity across the north for my constituents, but the devil is always in the detail. I have looked at the Liverpool to Manchester proposals, and the journey would actually be 20 minutes slower than it is currently. The Secretary of State also talked about improving access to Manchester airport, but the link stops a mile outside the airport, and people have to take a bus from there. Will the Secretary of State assure the House that she will review the points that I have made?

[Heidi Alexander]

I was interested to hear the hon. Lady’s contribution. She claimed that she supports anything that improves the public transport network in the north of England, but in September last year Reform came out with a clear objection to the Northern Powerhouse Rail scheme, telling the public that they should just accept their lot and be grateful. I look forward to hearing from her colleagues in future whether they have reversed their position on Northern Powerhouse Rail and finally seen the light.

[Graham Stringer (Blackley and Middleton South) (Lab)]

I appreciate the Secretary of State’s recognition of the lack of investment that there has been in the north of England, but it is not as though there has not been jam to go around. While there has been almost zero new investment in the north, in the south we have seen Javelin trains, the Jubilee line extension, Thameslink, the Elizabeth line and all the expenditure on HS2. Given that all that money has weighed down the south, and given that a crucial part of this scheme—I pay tribute to the Secretary of State for recognising this—is the underground station at Manchester Piccadilly, does she think it fair for local contributions to be expected for that, when most of the other schemes have been paid for through direct taxation? Why should the north not be treated in the same way as the south? Is it fair for local taxpayers to have to pay for what is part of the national infrastructure?

--- Later in debate ---

[Heidi Alexander]

I agree with my hon. Friend that the public in the north of England have had to put up with a second-rate transport system for far too long. We are determined to right that historic wrong, invest in the necessary upgrades, and get spades in the ground. I would just observe that when it came to Crossrail and the delivery of the Elizabeth line, there was a local contribution through a business rates retention scheme, and other investments in the capital have involved enterprise zones and land value capture. Those are some of the ideas that we would like to discuss with northern mayors.

[Ann Davies (Caerfyrddin) (PC)]

Today’s announcement directly affects Wales, given that it is footing the Bill for the Northern Powerhouse Rail project, along with HS2 and the Oxford-Cambridge railway—although I have to say that I am delighted for my northern friends. The price tag now owed to Wales amounts to about £6 billion, yet the Government expect us to be satisfied with £445 million over 10 years. How much longer does the Secretary of State think this farce can go on? Is it not time that rail is devolved so that funding can be directed back to the people of Wales, instead of to anything that is classified as an England and Wales project?

[Heidi Alexander]

The £445 million investment that was announced in the spending review is historic, and we recognise that there has been under-investment in Welsh infrastructure. However, this is really significant investment that will deliver new stations, faster journeys and better services for passengers, as well as connecting people to jobs and driving economic growth.

[Mr Clive Betts (Sheffield South East) (Lab)]

I thank the Secretary of State for the improvements announced to the Sheffield-Leeds line and for some of the improvements to the Sheffield-Manchester line, although I agree with my right hon. Friend the Member for Manchester Central (Lucy Powell) that we need a through route to Manchester airport as well.

I particularly want to ask the Secretary of State about the tram-train project. She and the Mayor Oliver Coppard have committed to working on the business case for that project, and my hon. Friend the Member for Penistone and Stocksbridge (Dr Tidball) has been fighting for it as well. Germany has been running tram-trains for 40 years, and the one pilot scheme in this country, involving a service between Sheffield and Rotherham, has been a success. Can the Secretary of State now see the development of tram-trains generating growth, housing and jobs in Sheffield as a precursor to rolling them out across the country, which would benefit a lot more areas?

[Heidi Alexander]

My hon. Friend and I have been speaking about the issue of tram-trains in recent months, and I have also had more recent conversations with the Mayor of South Yorkshire about his aspirations in that regard. I look forward to working closely with him to ensure that we integrate properly the benefits that will be brought through Northern Powerhouse Rail, including schemes that my hon. Friend wants to be promoted in the South Yorkshire combined authority area.

[Bill Esterson (Sefton Central) (Lab)]

My constituents stand to benefit enormously from the improvements in capacity and connectivity for Manchester airport and, indeed, Birmingham. The Secretary of State talked about growth in her statement. Does she agree that one of the big benefits will be a reduction in congestion on the roads and the pollution that it produces? That is massively important, in relation to NPR and to the Birmingham to Manchester—and, I would add, Liverpool—part of the link in the north-west. The big difference we are seeing with this announcement is that the Secretary of State has set out an outline plan; in the dozens of announcements that were made by the Conservative Government from 2014 onwards, we never heard of such a plan.

[Heidi Alexander]

My hon. Friend is entirely right. A reliable, affordable, frequent public transport service, including the new rail line between Liverpool and Manchester, will enable and encourage more people to leave the car at home and make their journeys in a more sustainable way. It strikes me as ludicrous that at the moment it takes an hour and 25 minutes to travel on a direct train from Liverpool to Manchester airport—a journey of less than 30 miles—when it is possible to travel from Paddington to Reading, a journey of similar length, in 22 minutes.

[Mark Sewards (Leeds South West and Morley) (Lab)]

As chair of the all-party parliamentary group for Yorkshire and Northern Lincolnshire, I absolutely welcome the news that phase 1 of the Northern Powerhouse Rail project prioritises Yorkshire. It will generate growth and opportunities for people in my region, and it is a development for which members of the APPG, on both sides of the House, have long campaigned. With my city of Leeds in mind, may I ask when my residents will benefit from the phase 1 investment? May I also ask whether the Secretary of State agrees that we should accelerate the delivery of the West Yorkshire tram project, so that my constituents can benefit from both better railways and a mass transit system?

[Heidi Alexander]

The improvements for Leeds and the surrounding area that we have announced today are in addition to the existing improvement plans for Leeds station. The Government are considering Leeds South Bank as a potential location for a new town in an existing city, and I am very aware that Leeds is now known as the northern square mile because its attractiveness to financial services. I am working closely with Mayor Tracy Brabin to ensure that we deliver the mass transit system. I believe that Leeds is the largest city in western Europe without such a system, and we have to put that right.

[Alex Sobel (Leeds Central and Headingley) (Lab/Co-op)]

I warmly welcome the news today that we will finally get Northern Powerhouse Rail, and the news that it is starting in Yorkshire is historic. The world’s oldest continuously working railway, Middleton railway, has operated since 1758, and the lines that are to be improved will be just metres away from it. That railway helped to kick-start the industrial revolution, and this project could kick-start a new revolution for the north of England. Is the Secretary of State working with the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government to look at housing growth, at jobs growth and at maximising the benefits of Northern Powerhouse Rail in the same way as our Victorian forebears?

--- Later in debate ---

[Heidi Alexander]

Very much so, and if we were able to bring productivity in the north up to the average level, the UK economy would grow by about £40 billion a year. This is not just about trains or tracks; it is about leveraging in private investment, new jobs, new homes, city centre regeneration and breathing life back into our town centres. I look forward to working further with my hon. Friend on that.

[Jo White (Bassetlaw) (Lab)]

As the Secretary of State said, this is evidence that cross-Government working is in action, with the Treasury, the Department for Transport and the MHCLG setting the case, and establishing confidence that the north is open for business as the place to invest, to build and to live. We have a Government who have the self-assurance to shift away from the well-trodden path of growth traditionally centred on London and the south. The record is clear: the Tories under-invested in the north time and again, and Reform has already opposed everything that Northern Powerhouse Rail stands for—

--- Later in debate ---

[Jo White]

Reform’s betrayal of the north must never be forgotten.

For this to work, we need our council leaders and mayors to play their part. For constituencies such as Bassetlaw, Bolsover, North East Derbyshire and Chesterfield, our East Midlands Mayor must be part of the dialogue on the investment strategy for transport planning and connectivity. We all want to open our doors to businesses on the back of this, so will the Secretary of State ensure that Mayor Claire Ward has a place at the table?

[Heidi Alexander]

I work closely with Claire Ward, and I have enormous respect her work in the east midlands.

I recognise my hon. Friend’s point about Reform’s position on rail investment in the north of England. She had to deal with some chuntering from the other side, and I would just observe that the hon. Member for Runcorn and Helsby (Sarah Pochin) may like to google what one of her colleagues said back in September, when he was absolutely unequivocal that he would not back Northern Powerhouse Rail and that he would not back better public transport in the north. This Labour Government have exactly the opposite ambition.

[Anna Dixon (Shipley) (Lab)]

As a member of the Public Accounts Committee, which did an inquiry into HS2, I must warmly welcome the Secretary of State taking such a disciplined and clear approach to ensuring that this scheme is delivered, and delivered on time and with value for money, as the trans-Pennine upgrade was. As a Bradford MP, I would like—with others, I am sure—to join in thanking her for backing Northern Powerhouse Rail, but particularly for backing Bradford. The new station and the improved link to Leeds will make a massive difference not only to the city of Bradford, but to the wider district. Will the Secretary of State assure me that the transport investments by this Labour Government will deliver not only better connectivity, but jobs and new homes to the whole of Bradford district?

[Heidi Alexander]

One of the things we have to achieve through Northern Powerhouse Rail is making sure that young people growing up in towns and smaller cities around the big conurbations can easily access the high-quality jobs in places such as Leeds, Manchester and Newcastle. I assure my hon. Friend that this Government’s approach is about investing in skills, investing in transport and investing in opportunities for the future.

[Laurence Turner (Birmingham Northfield) (Lab)]

A little more than two years have passed since the last Prime Minister chaotically took the axe to HS2 north and east of Birmingham, and the mayor at the time, Andy Street, failed the test of leadership and failed to stand up for our region. There is an obvious link between the east-west connections the Secretary of State has been talking about, and the south to north connections along the west coast main line. Will she and her Ministers meet and engage with west midlands MPs about the capacity issue she has set out, and can we not lose sight of the importance of the west midlands to east midlands connection, which is as slow as the connections in the north?

[Heidi Alexander]

I would be very happy to meet my hon. Friend and other Members to discuss this matter further. I would also like to pay tribute to Mayor Richard Parker for working collaboratively with us in the west midlands, alongside Claire Ward in the east midlands, to make sure that we can improve not only inter-city connections, but the connections within big cities that are so important.

[Dr Marie Tidball (Penistone and Stocksbridge) (Lab)]

I welcome the Secretary of State’s announcement confirming the biggest investment in rail connectivity in a generation, including £7.5 million for the South Yorkshire mayoral combined authority to kick-start plans to extend the South Yorkshire Supertram, including looking at a tram-train extension to Stocksbridge via Oughtibridge, Wharncliffe Side and Deepcar in my constituency. Does my right hon. Friend agree that this tram-train extension will build on the Government’s commitment today to finally give Yorkshire the transport network our communities deserve?

[Heidi Alexander]

We are committed to giving everyone in Yorkshire the transport networks they deserve. As I said in response to my hon. Friend the Member for Sheffield South East (Mr Betts), we want to work with Mayor Oliver Coppard to explore further the potential of tram-train. I know she has been a fearsome advocate for the Penistone line in her constituency, and further engagement is going on with Kirklees council on that issue.

[Abtisam Mohamed (Sheffield Central) (Lab)]

Like my Sheffield colleagues, I strongly welcome the Government commitment to upgrading our Sheffield station and putting in place faster and more frequent trains to Leeds and Manchester. This will increase our city centre regeneration, and will be of strong benefit to our universities and students who commute into the city. Will the Minister meet me and other South Yorkshire MPs to discuss timescales and to ensure that our infrastructure plans match the economic ambitions for growth and regeneration in Sheffield?

[Heidi Alexander]

I will certainly ask the Rail Minister to meet my hon. Friend and her colleagues. I do think that two fast services an hour between the key cities of Leeds and Sheffield is simply not good enough. We are committed to improving those services and to providing the capacity that is required at Sheffield station, and I look forward to discussing that further.

[Navendu Mishra (Stockport) (Lab)]

This announcement is excellent news for northern towns and cities. Manchester airport is a large employer in my constituency, but since covid we have sadly lost direct connectivity from Stockport station into Manchester airport, so I think it is important to restore some of the pre-covid timetables. Can I also encourage the Secretary of State to look at the Access for All scheme? Unfortunately, it is far too slow, and far too many train stations do not have disabled access. To make rail better for everyone, we need to make it friendly for people with mobility issues.

[Heidi Alexander]

I agree with my hon. Friend about the importance of accessibility at rail stations, and I note the case he makes about Manchester airport. I would point out that, in addition to the new line between Liverpool and Manchester via the airport, which I have announced today, over £100 million of funding is going into Manchester airport station at the moment to lengthen the platform, so longer trains and more frequent services can call there. That investment is happening now.

[Several hon. Members rose—]

[Connor Naismith (Crewe and Nantwich) (Lab)]

Can I begin by expressing my sincere and enthusiastic thanks to the Secretary of State for today’s announcements? I have been campaigning, and some would say badgering Ministers, throughout my entire time in this place to address capacity challenges on the west coast main line arising from the steaming pile of mess left for this Government on HS2. I welcome the announcement that the Government intend to build a new rail line between Birmingham and Manchester, but following 14 years of mismanagement of projects such as this, how can the Secretary of State assure me and my constituents that these projects will actually be delivered, and how will they be insulated against the backwards, anti-growth, populist forces that we know would reverse these plans in a heartbeat?

[Heidi Alexander]

We are going to give the public the confidence that when it comes to rail infrastructure, we are spending taxpayers’ money wisely. We will learn from the mistakes of HS2 and make sure we do the work properly to start off with, so we are not wasting taxpayers’ money in the way that the previous Government did with their oversight of HS2.

[Mr Luke Charters (York Outer) (Lab)]

By my reckoning, York is the biggest winner of this new rail revolution. The new Haxby/York North station; the York station masterplan upgrade; the trans-Pennine route upgrade; and the fantastic NPR new connections—which does my right hon. Friend think delivers the most for my constituents?

[Heidi Alexander]

I am not entirely sure how to answer that question, Madam Deputy Speaker. My hon. Friend has been a fearsome advocate for his constituents, and for improving public transport in York and the surrounding areas. I was delighted that we could confirm at the spending review that we were going to progress Haxby station in his constituency. I look forward to working with him further to unlock the potential in the city and region as a result of today’s proposals.

[Mrs Elsie Blundell (Heywood and Middleton North) (Lab)]

I welcome today’s announcement, which will unleash the potential of our northern regions and open the door to opportunities that have historically been denied to my constituents and so many across the north. Does my right hon. Friend agree with me that bold and ambitious schemes such as Northern Powerhouse Rail will silence the north’s detractors—not that many are in their places today—from the Tories, who left our rail network in the north of England on the brink of collapse, and Reform, who do nothing but talk down the promise of our proud and pioneering region?

[Heidi Alexander]

I could not have put it better myself. My hon. Friend is right that the public want us to be ambitious for the north and to make sure that the benefits of economic growth are spread fairly across the country. That is precisely what our announcements today on Northern Powerhouse Rail will do.

[Dave Robertson (Lichfield) (Lab)]

For 17 long years, constituents across Lichfield, Burntwood and the villages have had to deal with the complete failure of HS2 Ltd while Ministers were asleep at the wheel. The chaotic Conservative cancellation of the scheme did nothing to alleviate those problems and instead replaced them with uncertainty on uncertainty on uncertainty. Unfortunately, all today’s statement does is confirm that that uncertainty will continue for at least another two decades. Can the Secretary of State confirm to me that HS2 Ltd, which is so hated by my constituents, will have absolutely no part in any rail infrastructure project north of Handsacre, that she will urgently ensure that me and other Staffordshire MPs have an opportunity to meet the Rail Minister, and that we can commit to the quick completion of the Handsacre to Manchester leg of HS2, with a view to releasing as much safeguarded land as possible as quickly as possible, so that constituents across my constituency, Staffordshire and further north do not have to continue to deal with the problems they have faced for so long?

--- Later in debate ---

[Heidi Alexander]

I will ensure that the Rail Minister meets my hon. Friend and regional colleagues. In taking the right long-term strategic decision about providing more capacity on the west coast main line, I recognise that some people will be dealing with more uncertainty today. I want to work with him and HS2 to make sure that we treat those people with the respect they deserve and that we seek to minimise the disruption to people’s lives as far as possible.

[Shaun Davies (Telford) (Lab)]

Under the previous Conservative Government, Telford became one of the largest towns in the country without a direct link into London, we had a trainline into Birmingham and mid-Wales that was overcrowded, and private operators, who were falling over themselves to provide a solution, were being blocked by the Office of Road and Rail. I welcome today’s announcements, particularly around the links between Birmingham and Manchester, but will the Secretary of State or the Rail Minister meet me to explore all options to get Telford connected to the capital?

[Heidi Alexander]

I would be very happy to organise a meeting between my hon. Friend and the Rail Minister. He refers to some of the congestion challenges on the west coast main line with regard to train paths and putting on new services. That is why we have taken this long-term strategic decision today, recognising that we will have to address congestion and capacity challenges in that part of the rail network. As I say, I will be happy to organise that meeting for him.

[Harpreet Uppal (Huddersfield) (Lab)]

Madam Deputy Speaker, like you, I am a proud northerner. For too long, we have had to face challenges of under-investment in the north, so this is good news, particularly for Yorkshire. The plans for Northern Powerhouse Rail, alongside the upgrades to the trans-Pennine route, which are on time and on budget, will be a game changer for our communities and our economy. Will the Secretary of State outline how they will support regeneration and communities in northern towns such as Huddersfield, and how NPR will build on and connect to the trans-Pennine route upgrade?

[Heidi Alexander]

Phase 3 of the plans we have announced today will deliver improvements above and beyond the work that is happening at the moment with the trans-Pennine route upgrade. My hon. Friend is right to highlight the success of that programme in being on time and on budget—very different from the mega-project of HS2. I am very keen that we emulate the successes of the trans-Pennine route upgrade through Northern Powerhouse Rail. Of course, it also provides great opportunities to the thousands of people who are currently employed on the trans-Pennine route upgrade, who can get jobs working on the Northern Powerhouse Rail programme in future.

[Gill German (Clwyd North) (Lab)]

This is brilliant news today, not just for the north of England but for north Wales too. With investment already in place for the north Wales main line, it will give us better connectivity for tourism, employment and leisure to our great northern cities and beyond. Does the Secretary of State agree with me that we must continue to work together cross-border to give my constituents the seamless transport system that they deserve?

--- Later in debate ---

[Heidi Alexander]

I do agree with my hon. Friend. I have a very close working relationship with Ken Skates, the Welsh Cabinet Secretary for Transport and North Wales. He and I are working on how best to prioritise the record £445 million the Government committed at the spending review to improve Welsh rail infrastructure. I am always happy to talk to my hon. Friend about her ideas on what more we can do to improve the experience of the travelling public in Wales.

[Josh Fenton-Glynn (Calder Valley) (Lab)]

As a Yorkshire MP, I could not be more proud of the fact that it is a Labour Government who are delivering this change. I urge the Secretary of State to look again at the Calder Valley line. It needs electrification, perhaps as part of phase 3, which was promised by the Conservative party in 2015 but then dropped after the election. Could she please look at that again?

[Heidi Alexander]

I am grateful to my hon. Friend for raising the Calder Valley line and the importance of further electrification of the network. If I may, and in the interests of time, I will ask the Rail Minister to write to my hon. Friend with further information on that, but I appreciate that it will be important for his constituency.

[Sarah Russell (Congleton) (Lab)]

Northern Powerhouse Rail will be great for economic growth across the north and that will very much benefit my constituency. My constituency is geographically located in such a way that it should be great for travel to London, Liverpool and Manchester. Sadly, at the moment it is usually terrible for travelling to any of them. Will the Minister please meet me to talk about accessibility at Sandbach station, the quality and regularity of services across all those areas, and how we can make Northern Powerhouse Rail deliver for Cheshire?

[Heidi Alexander]

I am grateful to my hon. Friend for that contribution and appreciate how important it is to improve the quality of rail services to all the destinations she mentioned. Some benefits of the plans we are proposing today are, for example, that in parts of Yorkshire—I appreciate that that is a different part of the country—we could see enhanced services to London. I would be happy to have a meeting with regional colleagues to discuss the specific issues she has raised.

[Leigh Ingham (Stafford) (Lab)]

I understand why the Secretary of State has today taken the sensible long-term decision on the future capacity needs on the west coast main line, but for residents in Stafford, Eccleshall and the villages, who have had 17 years of worrying, it means more years of worrying for them. Can she assure me that she will listen to the concerns of businesses and nearby residents when making decisions about land powers, and will she meet me and other impacted Staffordshire MPs to discuss this matter further?

[Heidi Alexander]

I thank my hon. Friend for her question and for the measured way she has put it. I know that the issue is close to the heart of her constituents, and I know that the Rail Minister is very keen to engage further with her and other affected Members on this issue. I can assure her that he will be in touch shortly to discuss the issues and a way forward.

[Adam Jogee (Newcastle-under-Lyme) (Lab)]

I welcome the Secretary of State’s commitment to improving connections to Manchester airport, and I hope she will support my calls for a direct line between Stoke-on-Trent railway station, which serves most of my constituents, and Manchester airport. As the Secretary of State has heard from my hon. Friends the Members for Stafford (Leigh Ingham) and for Lichfield (Dave Robertson), although we welcome the intent and ambition of this statement, a number of Staffordshire MPs have concerns and questions about the impact locally. I have heard from countless people in Newcastle-under-Lyme about their experience of the disgraceful and failed HS2 project; people in my constituency want clarity, to be heard and to know that there will be no repeat of the distress and destruction they were forced to live with. I am grateful to the Secretary of State for offering us a meeting with the Rail Minister, but we would benefit hugely from a meeting with the Secretary of State herself as soon as possible.

[Heidi Alexander]

I would be very happy to join the meeting I have already committed to on behalf of the Rail Minister; I think that would be appropriate, given the breadth of issues that have been raised today. On the issue of a direct service from Stoke to Manchester airport, I know that West Midlands Railway is considering the feasibility of amending its Stafford to Crewe service.

[Kirith Entwistle (Bolton North East) (Lab)]

I welcome the fact that we are delivering Northern Powerhouse Rail—promised by the Tories, abandoned by the Tories and now delivered by this Labour Government. It will make a big difference to my constituents. However, it would be remiss of me not to take this opportunity to put on the record my ask that the Secretary of State work with the Mayor of Greater Manchester on extending the tramline to Bolton North East and ensuring better services on both Northern and Avanti West Coast.

[Heidi Alexander]

I know that we need to improve the performance on both the Avanti West Coast and Northern routes; the Rail Minister and I are seized of the importance of doing that. I assure my hon. Friend that I will continue to work with the Mayor of Greater Manchester to ensure that the inter-city improvements we have announced today are properly integrated with the local mass transit improvements that she is advocating.

[Jonathan Davies (Mid Derbyshire) (Lab)]

I very much welcome this generational investment, which will benefit not just rail in the north of England but the whole country through economic growth and regeneration. I particularly welcome the investment going to Sheffield, which is a city used by my constituents not just as a destination but as a connection to elsewhere. Bearing Sheffield in mind, I invite the Minister not to lose sight of the benefits of electrifying the midland main line south of Sheffield—it remains unelectrified down to South Wigston—which would drive significant growth for people in Mid Derbyshire and benefit the country as a whole.

[Heidi Alexander]

We had to take some difficult decisions on electrification as part of the spending review this year, but we continue to keep the potential of full electrification of the midland main line under review as part of our plans to decarbonise the railways.

[Dr Allison Gardner (Stoke-on-Trent South) (Lab)]

I welcome the Government’s announcement today on Northern Powerhouse Rail. However, in Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent we are still in stasis, with legacy issues such as the HS2 compound at Yarnfield, which is costing millions. I ask the Secretary of State for clarity on plans for our railway services in Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent and for HS2 legacy issues such as the Yarnfield compound.

[Heidi Alexander]

I am grateful to my hon. Friend for raising the issue of the Yarnfield compound; I am not sure that she and I have actually spoken about it directly before. If she could write to me with more detail, I would be happy to come back to her to let her and her constituents know what more we can do to provide certainty on the way forward.

[Andrew Cooper (Mid Cheshire) (Lab)]

Our region, from our big cities to our small towns, is ambitious for our future. We are hungry to play our part in our country’s economic recovery and have been impatient for the Government to see our potential after so many years of undelivered promises. Today’s announcement to invest in NPR shows that this Government will meet that ambition head-on.

The previous Government issued an instruction to the HS2 Phase 2b hybrid Bill Committee to remove the Mid Cheshire sections of the route from the Bill. Can my right hon. Friend confirm whether this Government intend to retain or withdraw this instruction? If they intend to withdraw it, will she write to me with details of the status of any undertakings and assurances made by HS2 to my councils and constituents as part of the petitioning process, which would not be delivered for more than a quarter of a century and by an organisation that may, by then, no longer exist?

[Heidi Alexander]

I understand the importance of these issues to my hon. Friend and his constituents. I have instructed officials today to resume work on the adapted hybrid Bill. If I may, given the detailed nature of his question, I will respond to him in writing to ensure that I get the information correct.

[Lola McEvoy (Darlington) (Lab)]

We on the Labour Benches are from the north and fight for the north, and this Labour Government will deliver the economic justice that we deserve in the north. As the Secretary of State will agree, I am sure, Darlington is the home of the railways, with our proud industrial history of British rail manufacturing. Will she outline how this investment and this plan will deliver for British rail manufacturing in my constituency and the rest of the north?

[Heidi Alexander]

I am left under no illusions that my hon. Friend is from the north and will fight for the north. Having enjoyed a very hospitable evening with her in Darlington at the Hitachi rail manufacturing plant, I know how critical that employer is to her region. I am pleased that today’s announcement is not only an investment in rail infrastructure, but a downpayment on that manufacturing base and its future in order to realise the full economic potential of the region.

[James Naish (Rushcliffe) (Lab)]

Over the past five years, per-head transport spend in the east midlands has fallen to just 54% of the UK average—the lowest of any region or nation. Rail funding is even more unequal, at £175 per head in 2023-24, which is barely 40% of the English average. With the Tories scrapping the east midlands leg in October 2023, HS2 will not be coming to my constituency, so while I welcome the ambition and scale of today’s announcement, I ask the Secretary of State to look once more at electrification of the midland main line, which will have an immediate economic impact and can be delivered in this Parliament.

[Heidi Alexander]

As I said to my hon. Friend the Member for Mid Derbyshire (Jonathan Davies), we are keeping this matter under review. We had to take the difficult decision not to fund it in the spending review. That is not to say that the constituents of my hon. Friend the Member for Rushcliffe (James Naish) are not benefiting from improvements on the railway—I know that the Minister for Local Transport is particularly excited about the new fleet of East Midlands Railway trains, which are providing a much better passenger experience for my hon. Friend’s constituents. We are determined to keep building on those sorts of improvements.

[Sarah Pochin (Runcorn and Helsby) (Reform)]

On a point of order, Madam Deputy Speaker. I believe that the Secretary of State has inadvertently misled the House on Reform’s voting record. We have always supported more transport in the north. I ask your advice on how we can correct the record.

Local Roads and Highways

Heidi Alexander Excerpts

Monday 12th January 2026 Written Statements

[The Secretary of State for Transport (Heidi Alexander)]

I wish to update the House on the Government’s work to improve the condition of local roads and the steps we are taking to ensure that record levels of investment deliver real benefits for communities.

The Government are committed to tackling the poor state of our roads. This financial year we have provided an additional £500 million for local highways maintenance, and have at the autumn Budget confirmed a record investment of £7.3 billion for the next four years, covering the period of 2026-27 to 2029-30. This funding increase and the provision of long-term funding certainty are designed to enable local authorities to invest in significantly improving the long-term condition of England’s road and local highways network, delivering safer and more reliable journeys.

To ensure increases in funding drive improvements, we now require local highway authorities to publish transparency reports setting out their maintenance plans. These reports allow residents and taxpayers to see how funding is being used and help us monitor progress. The first reports were published in June 2025.

Based on our assessments of these reports, my Department yesterday published red amber green (RAG) ratings for each local highway authority, assessing the quality of local roads and progress against key aspects of local highways management. These overall ratings are supported by three underlying scorecards, measuring local road condition, the level of capital spend on highways maintenance and the extent to which local authorities have adopted best practice in highways management.

The aim of these ratings is to provide an evidence- based picture of local highways maintenance practices and outcomes to support improvements across the sector. They are designed to recognise and highlight good practice —for example in relation to preventative maintenance so that potholes do not form in the first place—while also helping the Department to identify where local authorities need to improve, and where more targeted support to local authorities may help them adopt best practice and improve road condition nationwide.

We recognise that historic underfunding has meant that local authorities have not necessarily had the resources or tools available to maintain roads in the way that they would want to. So a lower rating does not necessarily reflect a lack of local ambition. Where authorities face particular challenges, we will offer targeted support, including peer reviews by sector experts. This is alongside wider resources such as the Live Labs 2 highways innovation programme which we have extended into 2026-27 to enable further uptake of the programme’s findings, and our update of the code of practice for well-managed highways, which will be published later this year.

These ratings will be updated annually, and so, over time, will provide evidence of the impact of the Government’s increased and long-term investment into local highways and of local authorities’ efforts in maintaining their networks.

These measures—increased and long-term funding certainty, improved evidence of local progress through our ratings, and more targeted support to local authorities —are intended to work together. They are part of the Government plan to improve the condition of our local roads and highways, ensuring that communities can benefit from safer, smoother and more reliable journeys.

[HCWS1232]

Oral Answers to Questions

Heidi Alexander Excerpts

Thursday 8th January 2026 Commons Chamber

[Chris Hinchliff (North East Hertfordshire) (Lab)]

1. What steps she is taking to help reduce rail fares.

[The Secretary of State for Transport (Heidi Alexander)]

This Government are committed to bringing the cost of living down, while supporting opportunity and aspiration across the whole of the UK. From March, regulated rail fares will be frozen for the first time in 30 years, meaning that over 1 billion journeys can be made in the coming year for the same price as this year. On top of that, the great British rail sale has returned, offering discounts on over 3 million tickets, making rail travel more affordable for everyone.

[Chris Hinchliff]

The fact that this Labour Government have frozen rail fares for the first time in 30 years is hugely welcome, but for many of my constituents, recent years have felt like death by a thousand costs, and they desperately need to see rail fares come down even further. Would the Secretary of State meet me to discuss the amendment that I have tabled to the Railways Bill, which sets out an option for going even further and securing permanent reductions in rail fares for every traveller?

[Heidi Alexander]

My hon. Friend is completely right to raise the issue of affordability for the travelling public. After the relentless fare hikes under the last Government—ticket prices went up by 60%—I think the announcement by this Labour Government will be welcomed by millions of people who are using our trains this year. I will certainly ask the Rail Minister to sit down with my hon. Friend to discuss his amendment. I can assure him that as we set up Great British Railways, affordability will be a key priority for that new organisation, alongside balancing costs for taxpayers.

[Martin Vickers (Brigg and Immingham) (Con)]

While keeping fares down is welcome, as is simplification, the Secretary of State will be aware that London North Eastern Railway introduced what it called a simplified system a few months ago, which has actually resulted in a number of increases, and that is causing considerable concern to my constituents and others. Does the Department intend to review LNER’s ticketing process in due course?

[Heidi Alexander]

Many of the cheapest fares on LNER are still available. In the long-distance fare trials, the vast majority of people will benefit from the simplified ticketing system. Of course, as these trials take place, we will want to review this process and ensure that we are providing good value for money for as many of the travelling public as possible.

[Mr Speaker]

I call the shadow Minister.

[Jerome Mayhew (Broadland and Fakenham) (Con)]

But it is not just LNER, is it? We have also heard worrying accounts about Greater Anglia and c2c, shortly after they have been nationalised. The Government say that fare simplification is one of their key objectives; fair enough, but there are increasing numbers of accounts of discounted tickets being removed in the name of fare simplification. How will the Secretary of State prevent the fare simplification process from turning into just the removal of discounts?

[Heidi Alexander]

As we extend contactless ticketing, passengers will benefit from simpler, more flexible travel, and the majority of single tickets will be the same price or even lower. We do not want this positive change to have any perverse impacts, so we will monitor it as it beds in.

[Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Slough) (Lab)]

2. What steps she is taking to help improve local bus services.

--- Later in debate ---

[Sally Jameson (Doncaster Central) (Lab/Co-op)]

12. What steps she is taking to help ensure that the transport system supports economic growth.

[The Secretary of State for Transport (Heidi Alexander)]

Transport is a key enabler of economic growth. That is why we are investing £92 billion to maintain and modernise our roads and railways, to deliver major projects such as HS2 and East West Rail, and to support leaders in our towns and cities to improve local public transport networks. This will strengthen connectivity, unlock productivity and support a thriving UK economy.

[Dr Gardner]

My constituency of Stoke-on-Trent South and the villages is home to internationally recognised visitor attractions, including the iconic World of Wedgwood and the stunning grade-II listed Trentham Estate and its gardens, yet public transport access to those sites remains limited. Two local railway stations, Barlaston and Wedgwood, continue to be placed under a lengthy temporary closure of 19 years. Will the Secretary of State support the reopening of the Stoke-on-Trent South railway stations to better connect communities with jobs, skills and tourism opportunities to boost economic growth in my constituency?

[Heidi Alexander]

I appreciate what a fearsome and impatient advocate my hon. Friend is for her constituency, and I am sure she will leave no stone unturned in exploring potential funding options with local partners to reopen some of those stations. I will gladly ask the Rail Minister to sit down with her to discuss the art of the possible.

[Sally Jameson]

Junction 3 of the M18 in Doncaster is one of the biggest bottlenecks to growth in our region, so will the Minister meet me to discuss the possibility of its inclusion in the road investment strategy and how the Department can further support the mayoral combined authority and the council to make sure we get this sorted out?

[Heidi Alexander]

I would be happy to ask the Roads Minister, my hon. Friend the Member for Wakefield and Rothwell (Simon Lightwood), to meet my hon. Friend, who has campaigned hard to secure a viable future for Doncaster Sheffield airport, and I also appreciate the importance of this junction. We have given a significant amount of funding to the South Yorkshire mayoral combined authority to determine what its local investment priorities are. I encourage her to continue discussions with the Mayor of South Yorkshire to that effect.

[Sir Jeremy Hunt (Godalming and Ash) (Con)]

Being able to commute to work easily is vital for economic growth, but my constituents using Ash Vale station have to climb the equivalent of two storeys of stairs, making it virtually impossible for people in wheelchairs, older people or young parents with prams to get up and get on to the main line to London. There is an excellent proposal under Access for All on the Secretary of State’s desk. When will my constituents find out whether there will be a happy new year for them?

[Heidi Alexander]

The right hon. Gentleman has raised the question of accessibility at this station with me at Transport questions, and he is right to say that it is one of the schemes being considered as part of the Access for All programme. He is also right to say that decisions about that scheme are literally on my desk at the moment. He does not have too long to wait until we make an announcement about which schemes we will be taking forward, both for further design work and to construction.

[Monica Harding (Esher and Walton) (LD)]

My constituency is the highest contributor to the Exchequer of any constituency outside London, and most of the people who pay those huge taxes commute into London on South Western Railway, which is London’s least reliable train network. A major cause of that poor performance is an outdated signalling system at Clapham Junction. It is way out of date, and in November alone it accounted for 7% of all cancellations. Will the Secretary of State set out what plans exist to go beyond piecemeal repairs to a root and branch reconstruction of the signalling at Clapham Junction?

[Heidi Alexander]

I am fully aware of how important South Western Railway is to the hon. Lady’s constituency and to the economic performance of the south-east as a whole. I can give her good news: we have appointed a new integrated managing director of South Western, who is responsible for both the infrastructure and the train operations. I will be sure to write to the hon. Lady with more details about potential improvements to the signalling system, so that we can see the greater levels of reliability and punctuality that I know her constituents want to see.

[Chris Webb (Blackpool South) (Lab)]

Reliable transport links are vital to the prosperity of Blackpool. Although it is the most deprived town in the UK, we rely heavily on tourism, yet because of the Office of Rail and Road’s restrictions, Avanti announced before Christmas that it has slashed our direct routes to and from London by over 50%. There is now a direct service from Blackpool to London only at 7 in the morning, and then a return at half-past 6 and half-past 8 in the evening. This is not good enough, and it will damage our local economy. Will the Secretary of State please arrange for me to meet the Rail Minister to see how we can solve this issue? It will dramatically damage our local economy, and we need to get it sorted.

[Heidi Alexander]

I would be very happy to ask the Rail Minister to meet my hon. Friend. I fully appreciate the importance of direct services to London, and we will make sure that we look at the detail of what has happened in this situation and see whether any mitigations can be put in place.

[Nick Timothy (West Suffolk) (Con)]

Communities near Cambridge, such as the towns and villages of West Suffolk, need better transport connections, especially given the new housing developments. The wider east needs the Ely-Haughley upgrade, and we need a dualled line from Cambridge to Newmarket and a new rail link to Haverhill. Will the Secretary of State meet me to discuss how developments and transport policies can be better aligned in the east of England?

[Heidi Alexander]

I would be happy to meet the hon. Gentleman to discuss these issues. I am aware of the significance of the Ely-Haughley junction improvements. It was not possible to fund that scheme in the spending review, but it is part of the longer-term pipeline that we are looking at, not least because of the important freight links to the port in Felixstowe that could be improved. I would be happy to have a further conversation on the wider issues.

[Mr Speaker]

I call the shadow Secretary of State.

[Mr Richard Holden (Basildon and Billericay) (Con)]

Could the Secretary of State enlighten the House as to how reversing the last Conservative Government’s 5p a litre fuel duty cut will help the transport system to support economic growth? Is it not the truth that, come September, this will be known as Labour’s back to school tax?

[Heidi Alexander]

The right hon. Gentleman will be aware that we are freezing fuel duty until August this year. We need to get the balance right in terms of securing income for the public finances, but I also point out that we are investing a record amount in highways maintenance—£1.6 billion last year, which is £500 million more than was spent the year before, under his Government. We will double investment in roads maintenance by the end of this Parliament, and that is what people using our roads want to see.

[Tom Gordon (Harrogate and Knaresborough) (LD)]

8. What steps she is taking to help improve rail services in Harrogate and Knaresborough constituency.

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[Bob Blackman (Harrow East) (Con)]

18. What recent discussions she has had with the Mayor of London on the extension of the management of commuter services by Transport for London.

[The Secretary of State for Transport (Heidi Alexander)]

I am pleased to see the hon. Gentleman in his place. I assure him that I am in regular contact with the Mayor of London on a range of matters, and he and I discussed the proposed devolution of Great Northern inner services to Transport for London when we last met in November. My officials have been in close contact with TfL and Greater London Authority officials on this matter, and following TfL’s business case submission, the Department is assessing the potential benefits, including for housing growth.

[Bob Blackman]

I thank the Secretary of State for that answer. She will well know, as a former deputy mayor for transport in London, that the confusing picture of the use of the underground and of Overground services has been a problem for Londoners and for the mayor. However, it would be very controversial to introduce such a measure for all the Overground services and National Rail services for commuters into London. Are the ongoing conversations about the entirety of the network, or are they limited to just one service?

[Heidi Alexander]

The discussions at the moment are limited to the potential transfer of services that form part of the Great Northern inner network. This is a fiendishly complicated thing to do, but I do recognise the benefits of bringing certain commuter lines into London Overground and making them part of that network, as long as there is agreement with the local authorities representing those further along the line. We will continue those discussions with the Mayor of London and Transport for London to bring reliable, high-quality public transport services to the people of London.

[Fleur Anderson (Putney) (Lab)]

Commuter services are extensively disrupted in Putney by the six-year closure of Hammersmith bridge. I will be holding a bus crisis taskforce again tomorrow to look at the impact that the closure of the bridge is having not just on bus services, but on active travel and commuting through Putney. Will the Secretary of State confirm that she supports the reopening of Hammersmith bridge to vehicles, and when the next meeting of the Hammersmith bridge taskforce will be? It last met on 30 January last year.

[Heidi Alexander]

I recognise how disruptive the closure of Hammersmith bridge has been to people in my hon. Friend’s part of London. I understand that the Minister for Roads, my hon. Friend the Member for Wakefield and Rothwell (Simon Lightwood), will be convening a further meeting of the Hammersmith bridge taskforce in the near future to discuss next steps for the project. Officials will be in touch with key local stakeholders to arrange that in due course.

--- Later in debate ---

[Mr Andrew Snowden (Fylde) (Con)]

T1. If she will make a statement on her departmental responsibilities.

[The Secretary of State for Transport (Heidi Alexander)]

Yesterday marked a turning point for road safety in Britain. Our new road safety strategy, the first for 10 years, will save lives and end years of complacency. Our targets are ambitious: reducing those killed or seriously injured on our roads by 65% by 2035, and by 70% for children under 16. That means stricter penalties for dangerous drivers; clamping down on illegal number plates and those driving without insurance; and new measures to support those most at risk, such as younger and older drivers. Today we are also outlining plans to restrict pavement parking, which will make our roads safer and more accessible to everyone. Every life lost on our roads is not only tragic, but preventable. I am proud that the steps we are taking will mean more people in more places can travel more safely.

[Mr Snowden]

Earlier, one of the Ministers dodged a very straightforward but important question, so will the Secretary of State now set the record straight? Do the Government have any plans that would change the scope, funding or timelines for Northern Powerhouse Rail—yes or no?

[Heidi Alexander]

It is a simple fact that communities in the north of England have had to put up with second-rate transport systems for far too long. I can guarantee that this Government are fully committed to Northern Powerhouse Rail. I understand that the hon. Gentleman is impatient for announcements. He may have to wait a few days or weeks longer to find out exactly what the Government’s plans are, but I can assure him that we are making progress.

[Sarah Coombes (West Bromwich) (Lab)]

T2. Happy new year, Mr Speaker. Traffic jams at junction 1 of the M5 are a nightmare for residents, businesses and West Bromwich Albion FC fans. We have already had a traffic light upgrade, which has improved things slightly, and the Government have now given Sandwell council yellow box enforcement powers, which I hope will ease things further. What more can the Government do to modernise our roads, ease the jams and get Britain moving?

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[Victoria Collins (Harpenden and Berkhamsted) (LD)]

T3. Beyond the legitimate environmental concerns about Luton airport expansion, can the Government explain how an already unreliable Thameslink and packed road network will cope with the 13 million extra passengers a year, as well as a new theme park and massive top-down housing development?

[Heidi Alexander]

When planning permission was granted for the expansion of Luton airport, careful consideration was given to how people would access the airport, by road and by rail, and Luton also has the DART link. When it comes to the accessibility of the new Universal theme park, we are investing in rail networks such as East West Rail at Stewartby.

[Janet Daby (Lewisham East) (Lab)]

T7. My constituency is one of few places in the country that is overflown by flight paths for two airports: London City and Heathrow. Mr Baxter, a constituent of mine, continually writes to me on noise pollution, which is a real issue in the area. I would be very interested to know whether the Department has made an assessment of areas affected by multiple flight paths and what it is considering to manage the impact of that.

[David Simmonds (Ruislip, Northwood and Pinner) (Con)]

T5. London tube fares are due to rise by 5.8% this year. Despite that, my constituents, train drivers and station staff are frustrated by ongoing disruption with the tube services to my constituency. The Piccadilly line was out of action for weeks due to leaves on the line before Christmas, and the past 24 hours have seen a further extension of cancellations. What further pressure can the Secretary of State bring to bear on the Mayor of London to ensure a punctual and reliable service so that my constituents can get to work or school and go about their business?

[Heidi Alexander]

I remember from my time as deputy Mayor of London the perennial problem of leaves on the line, particularly on the Piccadilly line. I am happy to raise the hon. Member’s comments with the transport commissioner, Andy Lord.

[Paul Davies (Colne Valley) (Lab)]

T8.   The West Yorkshire combined authority has secured multi- million-pound funding to improve walking, wheeling and cycling across the region. The investments are already benefiting communities within my constituency. How will the Government build on that progress so that more people in constituencies such as mine can choose walking, wheeling and cycling for everyday journeys?

[Dave Doogan (Angus and Perthshire Glens) (SNP)]

It is not enough just to freeze rail fares; they should be cut, as the Scottish Government have done in Scotland. It is fair to say that English rail commuters should enjoy the lower level of cancellations enjoyed by rail commuters in Scotland. That is why ScotRail, with its public ownership, has the highest customer satisfaction of any rail operator in the United Kingdom. Would the Secretary of State like to facilitate a meeting with the Scottish Government to find out how to optimally run a rail operator?

[Heidi Alexander]

I can assure the hon. Gentleman that I have regular meetings with my Scottish counterpart, Fiona Hyslop. I can also assure him, as I have for other Members already today, that affordability will be a key priority as we set up Great British Railways and create a railway in England that puts passengers before profit. It will be a railway run by the public and for the public.

[Rachel Taylor (North Warwickshire and Bedworth) (Lab)]

T9. Constituents who responded to my commuter survey made it clear that the rail service from Coleshill and Water Orton to Birmingham is just not good enough. I called for CrossCountry to reinstate its 7.35 train from Water Orton and to introduce a new later service, and I am delighted that this has been done, but overcrowding is still a problem. Does the Minister agree that urgent action must be taken to improve the capacity of the route so that my constituents can travel to and from Birmingham reliably and comfortably?

[Tom Tugendhat (Tonbridge) (Con)]

I wonder whether the Secretary of State could update the House on the plans to connect Tonbridge to Gatwick through the rail network. As she knows, there have traditionally been links in that direction and it requires only a very minor change to the timetable to make it work. If she wanted, she could even connect it to the rest of the kingdom of Kent at the same time.

[Heidi Alexander]

I am grateful to the right hon. Gentleman for fulfilling his role as spokesperson for the kingdom of Kent. I am keen to maximise the number of people who are using the rail network to get to Gatwick airport. We have granted planning consent for Gatwick to bring its second runway into use in future and I want to continue discussions with Network Rail and the train operating company there, as it comes into public ownership, about how we can look at direct routes to Gatwick and increase capacity on the rail network to that airport.

[Mr Speaker]

I call the Chair of the Transport Committee.

--- Later in debate ---

[Robbie Moore (Keighley and Ilkley) (Con)]

The latest cost projection by Labour-run Bradford council for building a pedestrian bridge between Silsden and Steeton over a busy dual carriageway is now a whopping £24 million, and the proposed design looks like some bizarre Scalextric track. Will the Secretary of State meet me to get those ridiculous cost projections under control?

[Heidi Alexander]

I am happy to ask the Local Transport Minister to meet the hon. Gentleman. It sounds to me as if this is a locally managed project, and we would not interfere in that, but I am happy for a further conversation to take place.

[Rachel Hopkins (Luton South and South Bedfordshire) (Lab)]

Accessing airports via public transport is hugely important for sustainable aviation. With Govia Thameslink Railway’s Thameslink franchise coming under public ownership through Great British Railways later this spring, will the Minister meet me to discuss the benefits that that could bring for accessing Luton airport?

[Heidi Alexander]

I am happy to meet my hon. Friend to discuss that. I also assure her that I have raised the importance of public transport accessibility with the leadership of Luton airport, as well as the integration of the National Rail network and the Direct Air-Rail Transit link. I am happy to discuss that matter further with her.

[Joe Robertson (Isle of Wight East) (Con)]

The Government talk about affordable transport for passengers in the UK, but on the Isle of Wight we are at the mercy of privatised, unregulated ferry companies that charge extortionate prices for unreliable services. If those companies refuse to lower prices and improve services, will the Minister intervene, given that he would not accept that for any other community in the United Kingdom?

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[Dame Meg Hillier (Hackney South and Shoreditch) (Lab/Co-op)]

Earlier, Ministers talked about the benefits of bus services. In London we have been at the forefront of improved bus services, but unfortunately some aspects of that, such as low-traffic neighbourhoods, have had an impact on main routes, and now the No. 38 bus route is under threat of curtailment. Is the Department for Transport doing any strategic work on how we see those interactions, so that it can advise mayors and others in local areas on how to manage the interaction between different transport uses on our roads to ensure that buses run fast and deliver for the people who really rely on them?

[Heidi Alexander]

I know that the Roads and Buses Minister, my hon. Friend the Member for Wakefield and Rothwell (Simon Lightwood), would be happy to meet with my hon. Friend to discuss that issue in more detail. As far as we are concerned, best practice when establishing schemes such as low-traffic neighbourhoods requires consultation with bus operators about projected impacts on bus routes, bus frequencies and bus journey times.

[Richard Foord (Honiton and Sidmouth) (LD)]

Before Christmas, Colyford in Devon was subject to the death of a member of the community who had herself said that someone would be killed on that road. How will the Government’s road safety strategy help to prevent road deaths like the one that happened in Colyford last month?

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[Mr Will Forster (Woking) (LD)]

One of my Woking constituents is a nurse at Great Ormond Street hospital. Due to her long hours and shift patterns, she is unable to use a return ticket to go to and from work, which means she has to spend more money to give vital care to children. Will the Transport Secretary agree to look into this to ensure that my constituent and other key NHS staff and workers are able to spend less money to support us by having a longer return journey ticket?

[Heidi Alexander]

If the hon. Gentleman would like to write to me with the specifics of his constituent’s travel patterns, I will look into it and come back to him. I appreciate that, for key public sector workers, the affordability of the public transport system is key.

[Catherine Fookes (Monmouthshire) (Lab)]

A train station serving Magor and Undy will take cars off the badly congested M4 and open doors to new opportunities for local people. It is also excellent value for money, because the track and so much infrastructure is already there. I am delighted that the Government made funding available for the long-awaited Burns stations, which include Magor. Can the Minister give an update on progress towards delivering this all-important station?

[Heidi Alexander]

We are working closely with the Welsh Government and the Welsh rail board to determine the best prioritisation of the £445 million that we made available for the Welsh rail network at the spending review. I caught up with the Welsh Transport Minister, Ken Skates, a couple of weeks ago at the refurbishment launch of Cardiff station. I will be talking to him more about this in the coming weeks and will update my hon. Friend as soon as more information is available.

[Tom Gordon (Harrogate and Knaresborough) (LD)]

As a Yorkshireman, I love a bargain, so I welcome the great British rail sale, but members of the Young Liberals have told me that they cannot use their railcards when purchasing rail sale tickets. Can the Minister justify a rail sale that excludes young people, and will she look to fix it?

[Heidi Alexander]

Millions and millions of people will benefit from this Government’s rail sale, which is running this week. That is in addition to the over 1 billion journeys that will be captured by the fares freeze, which we have introduced for the first time in 30 years after relentless fare hikes under the previous Government.

[Sonia Kumar (Dudley) (Lab)]

As temperatures have plummeted across the country this week, road conditions have deteriorated. Sadly, the Conservative council in Dudley removed 500 grit bins before the winter, creating dangerous conditions for all and making day-to-day errands simply impossible. Will my hon. Friend work with me to hold Dudley council to account and ensure that Dudley’s roads are safe all year round?

--- Later in debate ---

[Peter Prinsley]

But indeed. [Laughter.] There remain several hazardous crossings on the busy east-west line between Ipswich and Cambridge, including at Thurston, where pedestrians are obliged to walk across the track. Does the Secretary of State agree that we must support all initiatives to improve the safety of such crossings?

[Heidi Alexander]

I do agree. I am pleased to hear that progress has been made in one location, but our ambition to improve safety in and around the rail network does not stop there.

[Andrew Cooper (Mid Cheshire) (Lab)]

Sixty-six years ago this week, the last regular passenger train called at Middlewich railway station, drawing to a close 92 years of passenger rail travel from the town. A number of students from Middlewich high school have written to me to ask whether the Government would consider reopening the station, and Enterprise Cheshire and Warrington undertook considerable work under the Restoring Your Railway scheme. Will the Secretary of State meet me to discuss the merits of bringing back railway services to the largest town in Cheshire without a station, and restore that vital connection to Manchester, Crewe and beyond?

[Heidi Alexander]

I would be very happy to meet my hon. Friend. How can I resist the invitation to do so when he has been contacted by the next generation about the importance of improving our rail network? I look forward to our discussion.

[Heidi Alexander]

My hon. Friend has spoken to me and the Minister for Rail about Wyndham accessibility issues. I thank him for his hugely pragmatic and practical approach to working out how we can fund an affordable scheme there. I will say more about the Access for All programme in the coming weeks, and I will be sure to stay in touch with him on that particular issue.

Connectivity Tool

Heidi Alexander Excerpts

Thursday 11th December 2025 Written Statements

[The Secretary of State for Transport (Heidi Alexander)]

Achieving sustainable development is a core aim of the UK’s planning system, but it has been hindered by the lack of a clear way of measuring what is a “sustainable location” for development in transport terms. This means that policymakers and decision-takers have lacked a commonly agreed evidence base to define connectivity.

To tackle this problem, the Department for Transport has created a new connectivity tool that combines transport and land-use data in an innovative way to generate a “connectivity score” for every location across England and Wales at a resolution of 100 x 100 square metres. This score measures people’s ability to get where they want and need to go, using walking, cycling and public transport to reach jobs, shops, schools, healthcare and other essential services.

In June, we launched the tool with all public bodies in England and Wales. Today, we are going a step further and opening up access to the tool online to everyone, free of charge, to help inform their plans, strategies and decisions.

This landmark platform will serve as the new national metric of connectivity, transforming how we plan for new development and the transport infrastructure needed to support it, ensuring new homes and services can be easily accessed by sustainable modes of transport, helping kickstart economic growth, and delivering the Government’s house building targets. It will help to target investment in transport infrastructure that enhances connectivity to underserved communities, improving their access to opportunities. By helping planners and place-makers consider how to shape their towns and cities, it will ensure we are building homes that are part of vibrant and thriving communities and help unlock development sites.

[HCWS1155]

Transport

Heidi Alexander Excerpts

Thursday 11th December 2025 Written Corrections

[Mark Pritchard]

I am grateful to the Secretary of State for giving way—she knows I am a huge fan. In that spirit of solidarity, will she join me in supporting the Wrexham, Shropshire & Midlands Railway company’s bid to the Office of Rail and Road for a new service into Shropshire, stopping at important market towns such as Wellington in my constituency? Does she accept that it is not just the big cities and urban centres but rural market towns that need to be included on timetables?

[Heidi Alexander]

Decisions about open access services, under the current model, are for the Office of Rail and Road to take. Network Rail supported the service that the right hon. Gentleman mentions, but the Office of Rail and Road took a different decision.

[Official Report, 9 December 2025; Vol. 777, c. 207.]

Written correction submitted by the Secretary of State for Transport, the right hon. Member for Swindon South (Heidi Alexander):

[Heidi Alexander]

Decisions about open access services, under the current model, are for the Office of Rail and Road to take. The Department for Transport supported the service that the right hon. Gentleman mentions, but the Office of Rail and Road took a different decision.

Motor Insurance Taskforce Report

Heidi Alexander Excerpts

Wednesday 10th December 2025 Written Statements

[The Secretary of State for Transport (Heidi Alexander)]

Today the Economic Secretary to the Treasury and I are pleased to publish the final report of the cross-Government taskforce on motor insurance.

On entering office, this Government were committed to tackling the soaring cost of motor insurance. Motor insurance provides peace of mind and financial security for millions of drivers, but the cost of premiums has become a real concern in recent years, impacting household budgets and, in some cases, limiting personal mobility and life chances.

This Government’s commitment to kickstart economic growth and break down barriers to opportunities as part of our plan for change reinforced our commitment to act.

Since it was formed in October 2024, the taskforce has worked across Departments and with our independent regulators to understand this complex market and to agree a set of actions that aims to stabilise and reduce the premiums paid by drivers.

Across Government, Departments will continue their efforts to address the broader factors that contribute to the cost of claims, such as vehicle theft and the cost of repairs. This includes efforts to tackle vehicle-related crime, continue to make our roads safer and work closely with industry to encourage innovation in new vehicle technologies, driving efficiencies and reducing costs.

As well as setting out the actions Departments and regulators are taking, the report also explores the characteristics of the UK’s motor insurance market. It acknowledges that the market is strongly competitive and innovative, and has faced real and increased costs to serve motorists in recent years.

The taskforce would like to acknowledge the support and insight of the stakeholder panel, representing both consumers and the motor and insurance industries, and the insight of our colleagues in the Devolved Administrations. Their perspectives have been vital as we have sought to capture the needs and concerns of people and firms across the UK.

The taskforce’s work has now concluded. Over the coming months, the Government will continue its work to deliver against the actions set out in the report.

[HCWS1150]

Railways Bill

Heidi Alexander Excerpts

2nd reading
Tuesday 9th December 2025 Commons Chamber

[The Secretary of State for Transport (Heidi Alexander)]

I beg to move, That the Bill be now read a Second time.

Two centuries ago, the first passenger railway services to run in the UK symbolised the hope and ambition of a confident nation, yet today that same railway symbolises something rather different. Every cancelled service, every cramped carriage and every dodgy wi-fi connection reflects not only a railway that has been beset by years of dysfunction, but a transport network, an economy and, indeed, a whole country in desperate need of renewal. It is therefore little wonder that at the last election millions of people voted for change, voting for a party that committed to bring train services back into public ownership—a service that would put passengers before profit.

No one should underestimate how seriously this Government take the instruction of the British people. The King’s Speech set out no fewer than five transport Bills. Two have already received Royal Assent, and this Railways Bill is the third. After years of spiralling rail costs yet plummeting performance, years of promises of rail reform that never saw the light of day, and years of an industry run at the altar of private profit over the public good, today we kick-start the biggest shake-up of our railways in a generation. This landmark Bill means that Britain will finally have a railway owned by the public for the public—one that puts passengers first, that seizes the opportunities of freight, that offers a better deal for taxpayers and, above all, that is greater than the sum of its parts.

[Munira Wilson (Twickenham) (LD)]

The Secretary of State is extolling the virtues of nationalisation. South Western Railway, which serves my constituents across Teddington, Twickenham, Hampton and Whitton, was nationalised earlier this year. We have only seen the service get worse and worse, with delays, cancellations and short-form trains leading to overcrowding. When can my constituents expect a better service as a result of her policies?

[Heidi Alexander]

The hon. Lady is right to say that South Western Railway had a difficult few months after it came into public ownership, but the problems that it is experiencing were inherited from the private sector operator. The number of new Arterio trains on the South Western Railway network has quadrupled since the train operating company came into public ownership, and there have been, on average, fewer cancellations in the directly operated service than there were in the privately run service.

[Jessica Toale (Bournemouth West) (Lab)]

I thank the Secretary of State for joining me at Branksome depot in my constituency to launch Great British Railways. It was welcomed by engineers, passengers, railway operators and local schools. I have a very different experience from that of the hon. Member for Twickenham (Munira Wilson), so will my right hon. Friend tell us how the Bill will benefit constituents and passengers across the rail network?

[Heidi Alexander]

We had a wonderful day in Bournemouth marking the first train operating company coming into public ownership under our new legislation. We will have a laser-like focus on building a railway that the public can be proud of and rely on.

[Dr Andrew Murrison (South West Wiltshire) (Con)]

On that point, will the Secretary of State give way?

[Heidi Alexander]

I will make some progress and I will give way to the right hon. Gentleman later.

The Government’s determination is to build a railway that is greater than the sum of its parts. It is not just about getting us from A to B; the railway is a route to aspiration, jobs and higher living standards right across this country. My message to passengers is simple: better times and better trains lie ahead.

[Catherine Atkinson (Derby North) (Lab)]

The Railways Bill represents a promise made and a promise delivered to set up Great British Railways, with its headquarters in Derby. Will the Secretary of State tell us more about how GBR will work together with our UK rail supply chain to ensure that we have the jobs, skills and growth needed to deliver a railway fit for Britain’s future?

[Heidi Alexander]

I am looking forward to working with my hon. Friend and her colleagues in Derby, pulling together the plans for the new headquarters in a city that I know is already brimming with railway talent. We will be publishing a rolling stock and infrastructure strategy next year to give confidence and certainty to the supply chain, and we will be able to perform longer-term planning precisely because we are bringing the management of track and train together.

[Dr Murrison]

I am grateful to the Secretary of State for allowing me to intervene. Her Wiltshire constituents and mine are not really interested in organisational change, but they are interested in railways that run on time, are reasonably comfortable and have interconnectivity. When will those passengers who use South Western Railway expect to see tangible improvements, rather than the 50% increase in cancellations that they have seen since May and the 29% increase in delays that they have seen during the time that the service has been renationalised?

[Heidi Alexander]

Next year the right hon. Gentleman’s constituents will have their fares frozen for the first time in 30 years. Under the last Government, fares went up by 60% between 2010 and 2024. I can only assume that he was not listening to the reply I gave to the hon. Member for Twickenham (Munira Wilson).

[Several hon. Members rose—]

[Heidi Alexander]

I will make some progress.

The Government have already begun the work of change. We passed the Passenger Railway Services (Public Ownership) Act last November, which began the process of simplifying an industry fractured into over a dozen different bodies. Seven operators are already in public hands, with seven more to follow. We are a step closer to saving up to £150 million a year in management fees, which previously went to private companies but can now be reinvested in our services.

I have said it before and I will say it again: like most of the public, I do not care who runs the railways; I just want them to work. Despite what some might claim, Labour Members are not possessed by some sort of ideological fever dream when it comes to rail. Instead, we are led by the facts and by what our constituents are telling us, and it is beyond doubt that the current model has failed passengers time and again. While public ownership alone cannot deliver the reform we need, let us be clear that reform would be hamstrung without public ownership.

We could wait for the wheels of legislation to turn before driving improvements, but I do not believe that passengers should wait any longer. That is why, last month, this Government froze rail fares for the first time in 30 years. That is an historic shot in the arm for millions of passengers, many of whom are struggling with the cost of living and could now save hundreds of pounds a year.

That is not all. We have expanded pay-as-you-go contactless ticketing in the south-east, with plans to launch further schemes in the west midlands and Greater Manchester. We are currently trialling digital pay-as-you-go in the east midlands and Yorkshire. Combined, this means that millions of journeys will benefit from a best price promise.

Finally, integrated leadership teams are in place on Southeastern and coming to South Western and Greater Anglia. One person will ultimately be in charge of both the tracks and the trains in those areas. That is a step closer to better decision making on our railways, and a move away from everyone blaming everyone else when things go wrong.

[Mark Pritchard (The Wrekin) (Con)]

I am grateful to the Secretary of State for giving way—she knows I am a huge fan. In that spirit of solidarity, will she join me in supporting the Wrexham, Shropshire & Midlands Railway company’s bid to the Office of Rail and Road for a new service into Shropshire, stopping at important market towns such as Wellington in my constituency? Does she accept that it is not just the big cities and urban centres but rural market towns that need to be included on timetables?

[Heidi Alexander]

Decisions about open access services, under the current model, are for the Office of Rail and Road to take. Network Rail supported the service that the right hon. Gentleman mentions, but the Office of Rail and Road took a different decision. If a new proposal comes forward, I am sure that Network Rail will look at it closely. We are keen to improve connectivity wherever we can. We are bringing forward this legislation because Great British Railways needs to take the track access decisions, so that we can ensure that decisions are taken in the best interests of passengers overall.

[Imran Hussain (Bradford East) (Lab)]

I thank the Secretary of State for the huge ambition in this truly transformative Bill. For cities like Bradford, that ambition must translate into real delivery, because Bradford has been left behind for far too long. When will she announce the development of a new, modern train station for Bradford, which will finally give our city the fast, direct connections that we have been denied for far too long? Will she also set out a timetable for progressing full connectivity in the TransPennine route upgrade?

[Heidi Alexander]

My hon. Friend makes a compelling case, which has also been put to me by Mayor Tracy Brabin and the leader of Bradford council, Councillor Susan Hinchcliffe. I hope to say more about improving connectivity in the north of England in the weeks and months ahead.

[Matt Rodda (Reading Central) (Lab)]

The Secretary of State is making an excellent speech on a very important matter of policy. May I thank her for the outstanding work to reduce the cost of rail travel for my residents in Reading, and residents in many other parts of the country? Will she say a little more about the benefits of contactless, and the significant benefits for residents of smoothing out the very complicated ticketing regime?

[Heidi Alexander]

My hon. Friend is completely right to highlight that. The travelling public want their journeys to be convenient and easy, and the roll-out of pay-as-you-go and contactless ticketing removes some of the friction in the system. Through Great British Railways, we also want to simplify the ticketing structure, because we have a baffling array of millions of fares and ticket types. We need to sort that out, and we will, through this legislation, and through our ambition for the railways.

[Several hon. Members rose—]

[Heidi Alexander]

I will make progress; I will give way some more in a minute.

We have to be honest about the state of our railways; they are still a bit of a mess. Underlying structural problems, fragmentation and complexity remain, and passengers still pay the price. That is why this Bill matters. It will sweep away the fragmentation and dysfunction that have plagued the railway for too long, and will bring the 17 organisations involved in running the railway together into one public body—Great British Railways, which is the directing mind that this industry has long called for.

GBR will co-ordinate much of the network, including track, train, and revenue and cost. Tickets will be simpler, costs will be reduced, growth will be prioritised, journeys will be made more reliable, and every decision will be taken in the interests of passengers, taxpayers and freight operators.

The railway will look and feel different, too. Passengers will no longer have to navigate the mind-bendingly complex system of organisations, which has been designed to benefit private companies, at the cost of decent services. We will wave goodbye to the blame factory that has come to define the industry, whether it is the armies of lawyers arguing over whose fault a delay is, or questions about whose responsibility it is to fix a broken lightbulb. Instead, we will see one railway and one team, with one mission: to deliver better public journeys.

[Several hon. Members rose—]

[Heidi Alexander]

I give way to the right hon. Member for Dwyfor Meirionnydd (Liz Saville Roberts), who has tried to get in a number of times.

[Liz Saville Roberts (Dwyfor Meirionnydd) (PC)]

The Secretary of State has touched on the role of the Office of Rail and Road. In 2018, after the Croydon tram accident, the Light Rail Safety and Standards Board was set up; at the same time, the chief inspector of railways recommended that a similar body be set up for heritage rail, which is run mostly by volunteers. Can we take the opportunity presented by this Bill to look at whether we could set up that body for heritage rail?

[Heidi Alexander]

I am very keen to maintain the excellent standards of safety on the railways. If we do not, I will be failing in my responsibility as Secretary of State. I am aware of the recommendations that the right hon. Lady refers to. The ORR, as one regulator, provides coherence, but if she writes to me, setting out her case in more detail, I will look at the issue.

[Preet Kaur Gill (Birmingham Edgbaston) (Lab/Co-op)]

Decades of rail privatisation have failed my constituents. Between August 2024 and August 2025, 4.5% of trains from University railway station in my constituency were cancelled, and 60% of Avanti West Coast trains failed to arrive on time. Given that record of failure, how will the Secretary of State empower passengers and local communities to make decisions on how their local railways are run?

[Heidi Alexander]

There are two key points in this Bill that my hon. Friend will be interested in. First, there are the provisions relating to our partnership work with mayors and mayoral strategic authorities, which will ensure that we work with our devolved partners. Secondly, there is the really beefed-up passenger watchdog, which I will come to. It might help if I say something more on that.

We have a laser-like focus on improving the railways for passengers.

[Dr Kieran Mullan (Bexhill and Battle) (Con)]

Will the Secretary of State give way?

[Heidi Alexander]

I will make some progress.

For too long, the priorities of passengers and the industry have not been one and the same, and that has to change now. Alongside GBR, we will create the passenger watchdog—a strong, independent voice for the customer. It will set tough standards, independently monitor the experience of passengers, investigate persistent issues, and relentlessly push for a more accessible railway.

[Lee Pitcher (Doncaster East and the Isle of Axholme) (Lab)]

Almost 1,000 residents of Althorpe, Crowle, Thorne and Hatfield have signed a petition; all they want is one train per hour. At the moment, it is every two hours, and on Sundays there is hardly any service at all. GBR is streamlining matters; decisions will be made in one place. Does the Secretary of State foresee practical issues with the timetable being resolved quite quickly?

[Heidi Alexander]

My hon. Friend raises an important point. It is often said that he or she who controls the timetable controls the railway. That is why this Bill will put power into the hands of the integrated rail body, Great British Railways, which will take decisions about the best use of the rail network.

[Several hon. Members rose—]

[Heidi Alexander]

I will give way to the hon. Member for Bicester and Woodstock (Calum Miller), then I will make some progress.

[Calum Miller (Bicester and Woodstock) (LD)]

I am grateful to the Secretary of State for her strong support for rail across the country. She talks about the passenger watchdog. I stood for 54 minutes on the train from Bicester to London yesterday, along with many other passengers. They want to know that the passenger voice will be heard. Will she clarify for the House whether the watchdog will look back at performance? If not, how will the passenger voice be heard, under the new governance arrangements that she describes?

[Heidi Alexander]

The passenger watchdog will be able to look at patterns, and will have the power to compel GBR and operators to provide information to it, and it can make recommendations to the ORR for enforcement. If our constituents have been failed by passenger assistants, if their trains are always delayed, or if they experience shoddy customer service, the passenger watchdog will be their champion.

I spoke briefly about devolution. Great British Railways will not be a British Rail mark 2; instead, it will be an agile organisation that embraces innovation and devolution. It will be rooted in the communities in which it operates, with local leaders finally getting a say in how their railways are run.

[Dave Doogan (Angus and Perthshire Glens) (SNP)]

I salute the ambition of the Bill, and determination with which the Secretary of State is articulating that ambition. Does she agree with my hon. Friend the Member for Moray West, Nairn and Strathspey (Graham Leadbitter) that the way that the Bill has been discussed with Scottish Government partners is the exemplar that other Government Departments in Whitehall may wish to follow? What steps can she take to highlight to her colleagues in Government that there is the possibility of constructive dialogue between the two Governments, as she has ably demonstrated?

[Heidi Alexander]

I am grateful to the hon. Gentleman for his remarks, and for the tone in which he has made them. I put on record my thanks to Scottish Minister Fiona Hyslop and the Welsh Transport Minister, Ken Skates, for the way in which they have engaged with me and my officials during this process. I know that my colleagues across Government share that determination to do what is right for the country as a whole.

I was setting out how GBR will work closely with mayors. We will reach bespoke partnership agreements to match the specific transport needs of different communities, and we will of course continue to work with the devolved Governments in Scotland and Wales, who I am pleased have lent their full support to the aims of the Bill.

[Perran Moon (Camborne and Redruth) (Lab)]

The Bill makes clear that GBR and the Office of Rail and Road would be required to have regard to local transport plans produced by mayoral combined authorities. However, that requirement does not apply to local transport plans produced by single strategic authorities outside mayoral combined authorities. Within Cornwall, we cannot and will not join a mayoral combined authority, so will the Secretary of State meet me to discuss how Cornwall will not be left out and penalised because we cannot join a mayoral combined authority?

[Heidi Alexander]

I would be very happy to ask the rail Minister to meet my hon. Friend to have that discussion.

One of the other biggest concerns of passengers is the baffling array of fares and ticketing, which is why GBR will drag the current complex system into the 21st century. A new GBR website and app will allow passengers to buy tickets, check train times and access support, all in one place. There will be no booking fees and no confusion—just simple fares that offer the best value for money.

[Alice Macdonald (Norwich North) (Lab/Co-op)]

I welcome the fact that Greater Anglia was one of the first companies to move into public ownership, and the freeze in rail fares. On devolution, many of us in the east would like to see East West Rail—which will have a huge impact—extended to Norwich, so that we can maximise our economic growth. Will the Secretary of State help arrange a meeting between the rail Minister, the relevant MPs and other stakeholders in the region to discuss that issue, as well as the Ely and Haughley junctions?

[Heidi Alexander]

I would be happy to arrange that meeting. This issue was raised with me when I visited Norwich, on the day that Greater Anglia transferred into public ownership. As my hon. Friend is aware, the delivery of East West Rail will happen in three stages. We first need to get to Cambridge; after that, I would be happy to have that discussion, but it will take a huge amount of work to get us from where we are today to seeing trains running between Oxford and Cambridge, which has to be the priority.

[Dr Mullan]

Will the Secretary of State give way?

[Heidi Alexander]

I will give way, and then I will make some progress.

[Dr Mullan]

Understandably, the Secretary of State has been talking primarily about passengers so far, but of course, the railways also transport freight; for example, they are important suppliers to British Gypsum in my constituency, taking many lorries off the already congested A21. Could she lay out what her ambitions are for increasing the use of freight on the railways, and how she will deliver those ambitions?

[Heidi Alexander]

I do think we need to move some of the freight that we currently move by road to the railways. The Bill will require the Secretary of State to set a freight growth target, and Great British Railways will have a duty to have regard to that target when it exercises its statutory functions, so that is at the heart of this Bill.

Finally, I will talk about access to the rail network. Great British Railways will be responsible for getting the best use out of the finite network capacity that we have, which is essential if we are going to improve performance, reduce disruption and allow more communities to be served by the railway. We want customers to be given the best choice of services and routes; this will be a core principle of Great British Railways, so it will work with open access and freight operators to harness the best of the private sector, taking access decisions across the whole network in a way the current regulator never could. We saw the urgent need for change only last week, with the ridiculous prospect of an empty 7 am train running from Manchester to London—a decision by the regulator that has now thankfully been reversed. However, let me be clear: GBR will not be allowed to act unchecked. The Office of Rail and Road will have robust powers to hold GBR to account, and all decisions GBR makes regarding access and charging will be appealable to the ORR. This will ensure that GBR’s decision making is fair, considered and transparent across the board.

Before I finish, I draw the attention of the House to our accessibility road map, which was published alongside the Bill. My colleague Lord Hendy, the rail Minister, wrote in that publication that

“for too many people…the railway remains a system of barriers. That must change.”

I could not agree more.  As far as I am concerned, a railway that fails to serve everyone is not fit for purpose—which is why the Bill also gives GBR and the passenger watchdog clear duties, ensuring that the needs of disabled people are at the heart of decision making.

[Lloyd Hatton (South Dorset) (Lab)]

Despite serving a town of nearly 50,000 people, Weymouth station, in my constituency, does not have a working toilet, which presents disabled passengers with a huge barrier to travel. Does my right hon. Friend agree that this legislation, and action from the Government to bring our railways back into public hands, will help to make our railways and our stations far more accessible to those disabled passengers?

[Heidi Alexander]

I do agree. That needs to be a priority, and it will be at the heart of what GBR does.

For too long, the railways have been a source of national parody rather than national pride—a symbol of public services not working as they should, and of life unnecessarily made harder—but 200 years after the first railways transformed the country, we have a once-in-a-generation chance to restore, renew and reimagine the potential of the industry, and to place it at the centre of the Government’s plans for national renewal.  The rising living standards, greater opportunity and greener economy that we promised at the last election all rely on a growing, high-performing railway, a railway that connects us to the things that matter most, connecting people to jobs, businesses to growth, families to days out, and all of us to our loved ones; a railway with public service at its core and that is frankly obsessed with the needs and wishes of passengers, and one that we can finally be proud of again.  That is the railway that Britain deserves, and the one that we will deliver.   I commend the Bill to the House.

[Several hon. Members rose—]

Airports National Policy Statement: Heathrow

Heidi Alexander Excerpts

Tuesday 25th November 2025 Written Statements

[The Secretary of State for Transport (Heidi Alexander)]

Further to my oral statement to the House on 22 October, I am writing to update the House on the Government’s decision to identify the scheme promoted by Heathrow Airport Ltd as the scheme to take forward in informing the ongoing review of the airports national policy statement over the coming months. Any resulting proposed amendment to the ANPS, along with any other proposed amendments, will be subject to public consultation.

This decision marks an important milestone, one that reaffirms the UK’s commitment to maintaining its position as a world leader in aviation, innovation and economic growth. Heathrow is our only hub airport, which supports trade, tourism and hundreds of thousands of jobs, and underpins prosperity across both the south-east and regions of the United Kingdom. If Britain is to remain competitive in the decades ahead, we must ensure that our airport capacity matches our ambition as a modern, outward-looking and confident nation.

The Government’s position is clear: expansion at Heathrow must be cost-effective, minimising the burden on passengers and coming at no cost to the taxpayer. The project will be privately financed, including the core scheme and any associated surface access improvements.

Crucially, expansion must be delivered in a way that aligns with our legal obligations on air quality, environmental protection, noise and climate change.

We recognise that expansion brings both opportunity and responsibility. My Department will therefore continue to work closely with the Civil Aviation Authority, local authorities, community representatives and the wider aviation sector to ensure any scheme is delivered transparently, responsibly and in partnership with those it affects.

Assessment of proposals

Following my update last month to confirm that two proposed schemes remained under active consideration, my Department has now undertaken a further assessment of those two proposed schemes—Heathrow Airport Ltd and Arora Group-Heathrow West Ltd. I would like to thank both promoters of the proposed schemes for providing this additional information, and for their constructive engagement with my Department.

Following a comparative assessment of the remaining proposals for Heathrow expansion, the Government’s view is that the north-west runway scheme brought forward by Heathrow Airport Ltd offers the most credible and deliverable option, principally due to the relative maturity of its proposal, the comparative level of confidence in the feasibility and resilience of its surface access plans, and the stronger comfort it provides in relation to the efficient, resilient and sustainable operations of the airport over the long-term.

The HAL scheme is considered comparatively more mature in its approach to road infrastructure. While the HAL scheme requires major works to the M25, assessment indicates that the HWL scheme would also have a considerable impact on the M25.

We know we must provide as much clarity and certainty for communities affected by expansion at Heathrow, as soon as possible. While HAL’s scheme requires more land, it would require the acquisition of fewer residential properties around the airport than HWL’s scheme.

The runway length proposed by HAL—up to 3.5 km —is considered to be advantageous in terms of providing greater resilience and potential futureproofing for next-generation aircraft when compared with the 2.8 km runway proposed by HWL.

The Government therefore consider that overall, the HAL scheme provides the greatest likelihood of meeting our ambition for a decision on development consent application within this Parliament. This scheme will now inform the ongoing ANPS review. Any scheme identified in an amended ANPS will still need detailed consideration—including matters such as runway length, layout and supporting infrastructure—in any development consent order sought under planning legislation.

Airports National Policy Statement Review

The airports national policy statement provides the policy framework for the Government’s approach to securing additional airport capacity in the south-east of England.

I announced on 22 October that it would be reviewed, particularly to consider updated aviation forecasts and how any changes in policy and legislation—in particular relating to climate and the environment—since its designation in 2018 may need to be reflected, as well as how the Government’s four tests will be applied to expansion. We have begun detailed analytical and policy work to this effect.

Further to this, today I am publishing the Government’s stakeholder engagement approach. This represents an important step in ensuring that the development and review of the ANPS is conducted in a manner that is transparent, inclusive, and informed by a comprehensive range of stakeholder views.

I have always been clear that any proposals for airport expansion must meet the Government’s four tests, including those relating to climate commitments. I am confirming that I have today written to the Climate Change Committee setting out how I intend to engage with it, so that its views can be fully considered as this process progresses.

Regulatory work

As I said in October, rigorous and effective cost control will be essential to the scheme’s success both in minimising any impact on airline charges and costs to passengers and in maintaining credibility with financial markets.

The Civil Aviation Authority is continuing its work to develop the regulatory framework that will support delivery of expansion at Heathrow. It will shortly set out further detail on its approach to early cost recovery by promoters and is today publishing a paper setting out potential future regulatory options for an expanded Heathrow. The Government welcome this work and will continue to co-ordinate closely with the regulator to ensure that any new regulatory framework supports the timely and efficient financing of expansion and, in line with the CAA’s statutory duties, that passengers’ interests are protected and the best possible value is delivered.

This ongoing collaboration between Government and the CAA will continue to align regulatory and policy frameworks as the ANPS review progresses. The Department has a clear interest in ensuring the best possible value and service for passengers and will continue to review the CAA’s independent assessment of regulatory options to achieve this.

Broader programme progress

As we set out in October, the Government have acted in a range of areas that will enable expansion at Heathrow, including through the Planning and Infrastructure Bill, our work on judicial reviews, and the initiation of slot reform. Since October, we have continued to make progress on policies that enable the delivery of an operational third runway at Heathrow.

On airspace modernisation, the Department is today launching a consultation on a package of changes to help streamline airspace design while retaining the important principles of a transparent, evidence-based airspace change process.

Alongside this, we continue to make progress on work to decarbonise aviation, including increasing the uptake of sustainable aviation fuel, and innovation in aviation technology.

This is a historic opportunity for the UK aviation sector and wider economy. The Government are committed to ensuring expansion is delivered in a timely, cost-efficient, and environmentally responsible way, and we will consult on any amendments to the ANPS by July 2026.

[HCWS1093]

Oral Answers to Questions

Heidi Alexander Excerpts

Thursday 20th November 2025 Commons Chamber

[Wendy Morton (Aldridge-Brownhills) (Con)]

1. What steps she is taking to ensure that major transport infrastructure upgrades are delivered effectively.

[The Secretary of State for Transport (Heidi Alexander)]

The Department follows strong governance and planning frameworks, backed by rigorous value-for-money assessments, to make sure that upgrades are delivered effectively. That aligns with the Government’s 10-year infrastructure strategy and ensures that lessons, such as those from James Stewart’s review of High Speed 2, are applied across all projects.

[Wendy Morton]

The Secretary of State has recognised the value of the midlands rail hub and the investment that was needed there; it will create much needed capacity through central Birmingham. Given that, does she agree that now is exactly the moment to look at options such as the Sutton Park line, to enable the maximisation of rail traffic through more passenger services?

[Heidi Alexander]

I am keen that we look comprehensively at options for unlocking capacity that the midlands rail hub will provide. The right hon. Lady raises an important point about the Sutton Park line, and I am happy to talk to officials about whether that capacity could be unlocked as part of the scheme.

[Anneliese Dodds (Oxford East) (Lab/Co-op)]

The structures fund announced in June will help to deliver transport infrastructure upgrades effectively. Upgrading transport can of course support other goals: fixing Kennington bridge in my constituency would help thousands of motorists and cyclists while also enabling the Oxford flood alleviation scheme to go ahead. When will the Secretary of State announce the arrangements for the structures fund, so that my area can apply for funding for that much-needed project?

[Heidi Alexander]

My right hon. Friend is completely right to highlight the importance of the structures fund. There are bridges, flyovers and tunnels across the country where the local authority with responsibility for the structure is simply unable to meet the whole cost of repairing it. I intend in the new year to set out more details about the £1 billion fund, which will enable both the repair of structures and enhancements to our local road network.

[Mr Mark Francois (Rayleigh and Wickford) (Con)]

The lower Thames crossing—or the late and tardy crossing, as it is now known in Essex—is the second largest piece of infrastructure in the country after High Speed 2. When will the work actually commence, when will the crossing be open to traffic, and—this is my third time asking the Secretary of State this question at the Dispatch Box—specifically which banks and companies will fund it? Many people in Essex are beginning to believe it is never going to happen.

[Heidi Alexander]

I have said to the right hon. Gentleman before that we are exploring private finance options to deliver the lower Thames crossing, having granted planning consent through a development consent order earlier this year. Enabling works, including utility works, could begin next year, before 2027, and the crossing should be open for use by vehicles in the mid-2030s.

[Dave Robertson (Lichfield) (Lab)]

The midlands rail hub project, which was funded at the spending review, will bring huge benefits to Lichfield, Burntwood and the villages, doubling the number of services to Birmingham per hour, but my constituents are wary about big infrastructure projects because they have seen the mess that HS2 has caused in our area. What reassurance can the Secretary of State give me that this Government have learned lessons from the previous Government and will make sure that HS2 Ltd acts swiftly and decisively to limit further disruption?

[Heidi Alexander]

My hon. Friend is completely right. The previous Government lost control of HS2—there is no doubt about it. This Government commissioned the James Stewart review, which made a number of important recommendations to improve project delivery. Those lessons are informing a fundamental review of HS2 that will provide certainty to communities about how long disruption will last. The Stewart review will also support improved practice on future infrastructure projects, including the midlands rail hub.

[Sir Julian Smith (Skipton and Ripon) (Con)]

2. What discussions she has had with North Yorkshire council on the progress of the development of the A59 Kex Gill bypass.

--- Later in debate ---

[Noah Law (St Austell and Newquay) (Lab)]

18. What steps she is taking to help ensure that the transport system supports economic growth.

[The Secretary of State for Transport (Heidi Alexander)]

Transport is a key enabler of economic growth. That is why we are investing £92 billion to maintain and modernise our roads and railways, deliver major projects such as HS2 and East West Rail, and support leaders in our towns and cities. This will unlock productivity and support a thriving UK economy, enabling over 39,000 new homes and 42,000 new jobs.

[Harpreet Uppal]

As part of the trans-Pennine route upgrades, 25% of the route has already been electrified, with 40% due to be completed by summer 2027. Huddersfield’s famous railway station is also undergoing a £70 million reconstruction. Although there has been a 30-day closure that has led to some disruption for residents in my town, can the Secretary of State set out how the Government are ensuring the economic and social benefits of that investment will be utilised to help regenerate communities in Huddersfield?

[Heidi Alexander]

I would like to acknowledge that my hon. Friend’s constituents have had to put up with some significant disruption in recent months, but I am confident that when that work is complete, Huddersfield will have a railway station fit for the future. The trans-Pennine route upgrade programme is working closely with local partners to ensure that the £11 billion of investment delivers long-term social and economic benefits for Huddersfield and local communities along the route. This includes supporting skilled jobs, improving connectivity and creating opportunities right now for local supply chains.

[Jacob Collier]

Fragmented bus services, trains that refuse to show up before 3 pm on a Sunday in Uttoxeter and Tutbury and an east-west road network that needs upgrading—all those things are holding back my constituents and economic growth in our region. Can my right hon. Friend say how she will unleash the kind of transport links that will support the economic growth that my constituents, businesses and Staffordshire deserve?

[Heidi Alexander]

I sympathise with my hon. Friend. Some parts of the country have been held back by poor transport links from years of Tory underfunding. I am pleased, though, that with this Labour Government, Staffordshire has been allocated more than £39 million this year in highways maintenance funding, plus £92 million in local transport grant from 2026 onwards. It is now up to the local authority to use that funding to deliver for its residents, and I know he will continue to press it to do so.

[Noah Law]

I am grateful to the Secretary of State for the recent boost to the local transport grant for my constituents in mid-Cornwall, but one of the barriers to more transformative rail investment in Cornwall remains a lack of shovel-ready projects to proceed with, which I have been talking about with residents in the western clay country and Fowey. What steps is the Secretary of State taking to ensure that we can get Cornwall’s railways back on track?

[Heidi Alexander]

My hon. Friend never misses an opportunity to talk with me about the importance of improving the transport system for his constituents. Through the local transport grant, Cornwall council will receive more than £25 million, which local leaders can use to support schemes in line with local priorities. We will issue guidance later this year so that local authorities can decide how to use their multi-year allocations, and I encourage my hon. Friend to take up this cause with his local council.

[John Glen (Salisbury) (Con)]

Following the decision to cancel the A303 improvements at Stonehenge, the focus in Wiltshire is on what else can be done, particularly around Salisbury, to remove some of the enormous congestion that exists that clearly impacts on economic growth. I was grateful for the engagement with National Highways last night on the Wyndham bridge plans, but can the Secretary of State set out what she sees as an alternative investment in Salisbury and south Wiltshire, following the A303 decision?

[Heidi Alexander]

I believe that the right hon. Gentleman has met my colleague, the former Minister for the future of roads, my hon. Friend the Member for Nottingham South (Lilian Greenwood), where they possibly discussed the A36 bypass around Salisbury. I am happy to meet him and talk to him further about any other ideas that he may have, in addition to the conversations he has already had with National Highways.

[Graham Leadbitter (Moray West, Nairn and Strathspey) (SNP)]

Aviation is vital to economic development and transport in the highlands and islands. The European geostationary navigation overlay system would have the massive benefit of improving the security and reliability of those flights, and they would be able to land in conditions than they cannot currently land in. What progress is being made towards that?

[Heidi Alexander]

We are working on this issue at pace. The aviation Minister, my hon. Friend the Member for Selby (Keir Mather), is cognisant of the benefits that scheme can bring and would be happy to keep the hon. Gentleman updated.

[Adrian Ramsay (Waveney Valley) (Green)]

Upgrading the Ely and Haughley junctions would enable a substantial shift of freight to the rails, which is important for net zero targets, for relieving congestion and for supporting haulage and logistics businesses. Will the Secretary of State therefore meet me, regional businesses, cross-party political leaders and the Suffolk chamber of commerce to look at the options for funding and upgrading this project, as outlined by Network Rail?

[Heidi Alexander]

I recently visited Norwich, where business leaders and representatives made the case to me for improvement works at the Ely and Haughley junctions. I am aware of the importance of freight on those lines, given the adjacency to the port of Felixstowe. We have had to take some difficult decisions in this spending review about the rail enhancement programme. While we understand the benefits of this scheme, it has not been possible to fund it in this spending review period. However, it is part of the future pipeline of work that we will be looking at.

[Mr Speaker]

I call the shadow Minister.

[Mr Richard Holden (Basildon and Billericay) (Con)]

There is no passenger growth commitment in the Railways Bill, just the expectation of inflation-busting fare rises in the Budget. Holidaymakers are being used like a piñata, with a 13% rise in air passenger duty already in prospect, and airport business rates will be passed on to them too. Ports have been throttled by delayed decisions on connectivity with the rail infrastructure. Motorists are facing potential fuel duty rises, with insurance premium tax rises and pay-per-mile hanging over them. Which of the above measures is supporting, rather than hammering, economic growth?

[Heidi Alexander]

I can tell the right hon. Gentleman what this Government are doing to support economic growth when it comes to the transport system. We have given the green light to over 50 road and rail projects in the spending review, given planning permission to airport expansion at Luton and Gatwick, and invited proposals for a third runway at Heathrow, in stark contrast to the dither-and-delay approach of the previous Government when it came to the aviation sector. I am not going to take any lectures from him when it comes to economic growth and improving the transport system in this country.

[Mr Holden]

Everyone I have spoken to in the UK automotive sector knows that the Government’s 2030 targets for electric vehicles are unachievable, will cost good UK jobs and are a boon to China as we see BYD sales up by 350% year on year, to 3,500 in the latest October figures. In fact, although the Government said that these targets would deliver certainty, the head of one major car manufacturer told me that the only certainty is a “terminal diagnosis” for the automotive sector in this country. When will the Government abandon these damaging targets, which are hammering UK jobs and UK economic growth?

[Heidi Alexander]

The right hon. Gentleman really does need to get with the programme. We have seen the best month ever when it comes to sales of EVs and hybrid vehicles. He talks about Ford. In fact, since launching our electric car grant in the summer, over 30,000 drivers have been helped to purchase an EV, including the Ford Puma and the Ford E-Tourneo Courier. There is a discount of £3,750 for individuals buying those models.

[Mr Speaker]

I call the Liberal Democrat spokesperson.

[Olly Glover (Didcot and Wantage) (LD)]

For decades, rail fares have been subject to above-inflation increases, and many people feel that prices such as £7,780 for an annual season ticket from Didcot to the London travelcard area do not represent good value for money and hinder the railways’ potential to reduce congestion and contribute to economic growth. Does the Secretary of State support the idea of a rail fares freeze? If she does, what representations has she made to the Chancellor ahead of the Budget?

[Heidi Alexander]

The hon. Gentleman tempts me to divulge conversations that I have had in advance of the Budget. I am sorry to disappoint him, but I am not going to do that. I am acutely aware of the importance that the travelling public place on affordability, and of course I want to find a way to help those who rely on our railways, given the cost of living pressures that people are experiencing. I have spoken before, though, about the scale of the public subsidy that we are currently putting into the railways, and we have to get the right balance between supporting rail users and being fair to the taxpayer.

[Iqbal Mohamed (Dewsbury and Batley) (Ind)]

11. What steps her Department is taking to reduce the backlog in practical driving tests.

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[Charlie Dewhirst (Bridlington and The Wolds) (Con)]

13. What discussions she has had with Cabinet colleagues on the adequacy of support for motorists.

[The Secretary of State for Transport (Heidi Alexander)]

This Government are on the side of drivers and are focused on making journeys safer and smoother, and saving motorists money. Over the past year alone, we have invested an extra £500 million in road maintenance, given the green light to over 30 road schemes and committed £650 million to cut the purchase cost of electric vehicles.

[Charlie Dewhirst]

Does the Secretary of State agree that the introduction of a pay-per-mile charge for motorists in next week’s Budget would disproportionately impact rural constituencies such as mine, because people are more reliant on cars to get about, and represent yet another slap in the face from this Government for the countryside and for motorists?

[Heidi Alexander]

There are no proposals to introduce a national pay-per-mile scheme. This Government are firmly on the side of drivers. As I have set out, we are pumping £24 billion of capital into motorways and local roads, with a record £1.6 billion for local roads maintenance this year, which is £500 million more than last year, and we are further repairing rundown bridges, decaying flyovers and worn-out tunnels.

[Lorraine Beavers (Blackpool North and Fleetwood) (Lab)]

15. What steps she is taking to improve rail connectivity.

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[Sarah Coombes (West Bromwich) (Lab)]

T1. If she will make a statement on her departmental responsibilities.

[The Secretary of State for Transport (Heidi Alexander)]

I would like to start by placing on record my deep gratitude to the brave railway staff and emergency responders who dealt so heroically with the appalling attack in Huntingdon a few weeks ago. I am relieved that LNER staff member Sam Zitouni is now continuing his recovery at home. I am sure the whole House will want to join me in sending our best wishes to him and his family. [Hon. Members: “Hear, hear.”]

We are getting on with the job of improving our transport system, with a record £1.6 billion of funding in our roads, by investing in our country’s economic future with the approval of 50 road and rail upgrades, and by turning our railways around with growing passenger numbers and legislation introduced to create Great British Railways. Better journeys are turning into cleaner journeys, with one in four new cars now an electric vehicle. With the Bus Services Act 2025 passed, backed by £1 billion of funding, we are improving our bus network, too.

This is only the start. Transport is at the heart of rising living standards, greater opportunity and national renewal—all things that this Government promised and are now delivering.

[Sarah Coombes]

Ghost number plates are a scourge on our roads and must be tackled. Part of the problem is the thousands of rogue traders who are very happy to sell ghost and cloned number plates to criminals with no questions asked. Despite this number plate wild west, the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency has removed from its register only five businesses for the illegal sale of number plates in the past year. Can the Secretary of State reassure me that she is taking action to control the sale of number plates in Britain and crack down on the explosion of ghost plates on our streets?

[Heidi Alexander]

I pay tribute to my hon. Friend for her dogged campaigning on road safety, and thank her for talking to me about this issue and others when I visited West Bromwich earlier this year. We are determined to tackle illegal ghost plates and will publish our road safety strategy before the end of the year. We are working with the DVLA to consider options for strengthening the regime governing the supply of number plates.

[Wera Hobhouse (Bath) (LD)]

T3. Yesterday, I met Volkswagen. It stressed that to meet our electric vehicle targets the Government must provide long-term support and certainty through to 2030 and beyond, with sensible incentives, a supportive tax framework and more robust infrastructure. What steps is the Department taking to ensure that consumers and manufacturers have confidence in the long-term value of EVs?

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[Greg Smith (Mid Buckinghamshire) (Con)]

Snuck out on a Government website, we learn that narrower roads are coming to make driving more miserable. Is it not the case that such a move will cause even more friction between motorists and cyclists, and slow our roads down so much that it costs the economy billions?

[Heidi Alexander]

Claims that Government guidance mandates a certain road width are false and misrepresent guidance from Active Travel England. There have never been legally binding standards for road widths, and that remains the case. It is obviously right that each road should be designed to meet the needs of local use, and that includes road width. Those decisions are for local traffic engineers. If the hon. Member is saying that we should not design roads to help avoid fatalities, I suggest that he is out of step with most people across the country.

[Greg Smith]

Mr Speaker, it is on their own website. But I will turn to another Government blunder: taxpayer-funded schemes to bribe the public into buying something that they do not want, which, we now learn, will financially hammer people for doing what the Government told them to do in the first place. Is it not time to let people choose what they want to drive, before electric becomes the new diesel?

[Heidi Alexander]

If the electric car grant scheme is so unpopular, why have 30,000 people availed themselves of it since its launch in the summer? I am clear that the transition to electric vehicles is a key plank of this Government’s agenda, because of the good jobs it can create and the need to clean up the way we travel.

[Peter Prinsley (Bury St Edmunds and Stowmarket) (Lab)]

T7.   At a recent church hall meeting in Elmswell—yet another quintessential Suffolk village—a number of my constituents raised concerns about the local railway crossing. This rapidly growing village relies on an outdated level crossing, creating enormous hold-ups that are inconvenient at best and dangerous at worst. In nearby Thurston, passengers can only access the platform by walking across the tracks. Although I welcome Mid Suffolk district council’s recent decision to invest, what action are the Government taking to improve safety and reduce disruption at rural railway crossings?

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[Olly Glover (Didcot and Wantage) (LD)]

The new railway between Oxford, Bicester and Milton Keynes has been open for more than a year, successfully running freight and charter trains, but passenger trains have yet to start. When will passenger services begin, and what does the Secretary of State feel are the lessons for her Department as to what has gone wrong?

[Heidi Alexander]

There were significant delays under the previous Government—14 months between their intention to move to procurement in March 2023 and any action on it, which was not until the general election last year. Within a couple of months of my being in post, we appointed Chiltern Railways as the operator. There are ongoing discussions locally, and I hope that services are up and running as soon as possible in the new year.

[Laura Kyrke-Smith (Aylesbury) (Lab)]

T9.  There is great news for train travellers in Aylesbury this week, as the Government have announced that contactless pay-as-you-go ticketing will be rolled out at Aylesbury station from 14 December. Will the Minister join me in encouraging Aylesbury residents to give it a try, and can he assure me that they will get the best-value ticket when they do?

[Andrew Rosindell (Romford) (Con)]

T4. The Secretary of State will know, because I have raised it so many times, about the appalling situation at the Gallows Corner A12-A127 junction. It is affecting everybody on the east side of London and well into Essex, including all my constituents. It is total incompetence by Transport for London and the Mayor of London. Will the Secretary of State take charge of the situation, overriding the Mayor of London and TfL, and ensure that this infrastructure project is completed no later than spring 2026? It has been delayed for six months already.

[Heidi Alexander]

I fully appreciate that everyone in the hon. Gentleman’s constituency will want to see progress on this matter as soon as possible. I would point out that Gallows Corner has been in a state of disrepair for many years. In fact, under the previous Conservative Government, Transport for London received no substantive support, but this Labour Government committed more than £50 million to finally make the structure safe and reliable again in the spending review. Responsibility now sits with TfL.

[Mr Calvin Bailey (Leyton and Wanstead) (Lab)]

The recent approval of Virgin Trains’ application to share Leyton’s Temple Mills depot with Eurostar is welcome news for jobs and investment in my constituency and for green economic growth. What plans does the Secretary of State have to further seize the opportunities from cross-channel rail?

[Heidi Alexander]

The Office of Rail and Road’s decision with respect to unused capacity at Temple Mills was very welcome. We need to explore whether there are ways to increase depot capacity further, and my hon. Friend will be aware that there are a whole series of further steps that we need to go through before passenger services are live and running. I am really keen that we make use of the spare capacity that exists in the channel tunnel to improve and increase the number of direct international rail services that run from London.

[Clive Jones (Wokingham) (LD)]

T5. Hundreds of residents scramble to Twyford train station in my constituency every morning to get to work either in London or in other nearby towns. The village has become overwhelmed, with many struggling to find somewhere to park. Will the Minister meet me to update me on plans for improving local travel links to help residents to access new services such as the Elizabeth line, and even a rail link to Heathrow?

[Heidi Alexander]

I would be happy to ask the Rail Minister to meet the hon. Gentleman to talk about the particular issues around the station that he mentions and to understand what more we could do to properly integrate transport options in that area.

[Paul Waugh (Rochdale) (Lab/Co-op)]

Apologies for jumping the gun earlier, Mr Speaker. We need to crack down on drug drivers. Leon Clarke from Rochdale crashed his car and killed his eight-year-old son while driving under the influence of cocaine. Does the Minister agree that we need to change the law on roadside drug tests to stamp out this rising menace on our roads?

[Christine Jardine (Edinburgh West) (LD)]

T6. The City of Edinburgh council’s consultation on a new tram route has just closed, but there are newspaper reports in the city that officials are now in discussion with Government advisers about potential funding options. Can the Minister clarify whether that is the case and, if so, ensure that the views expressed in the consultation by my constituents will be adhered to?

[Heidi Alexander]

I am happy to talk to my officials about that particular scheme. If I may, I will come back to the hon. Lady in writing.

[Chris Webb (Blackpool South) (Lab)]

Yesterday in Parliament, I met a number of bus drivers who told me that in their research of 420 routes, 222 did not have any toilets on the route, and 155 of those had no procedures in place for drivers who needed to access toilets during their route. These drivers deserve toilet dignity in their workplace. Does the Minister agree that we need to ensure that those providers give their drivers toilet dignity, and will she meet me to discuss this matter further to ensure they get that access?

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[Mr Gagan Mohindra (South West Hertfordshire) (Con)]

T8.   Many of my residents rely on Transport for London services to travel every day, yet they are not entitled to concessions enjoyed by those who live literally hundreds of metres away. I have raised this issue before in the Chamber. Will the Secretary of State advise me of any way, besides turning up at City Hall, that I can meet the relevant person to discuss this?

[Heidi Alexander]

I am interested to hear that the hon. Gentleman’s constituents want to avail themselves of concessions provided by the Labour Mayor of London. The hon. Gentleman will know that Londoners often pay a precept to fund some of the entitlements they have in London. That is why his constituents, who fall outside the Greater London boundary, do not have those concessions available to them.

[Peter Swallow (Bracknell) (Lab)]

Bracknell Forest council, supported by Department for Transport funding, has delivered an early Christmas present for residents, with free bus journeys on the first three weekends in December. Will my hon. Friend share my joy in that scheme, which will boost our local economy? I know it is only November, but will he also join me in wishing everyone in Bracknell Forest a very merry Christmas?

[Katie Lam (Weald of Kent) (Con)]

Cross-channel rail was already mentioned this morning. Specifically, trains from Ashford to Paris were a massive boost for my constituents in the Weald of Kent and are much missed. It is fantastic news that Virgin would like to run trains again from Ashford and also from Ebbsfleet, but I know that there are some open questions about how the stations will be updated. It would be great to hear about any conversations that the right hon. Lady might have had with Virgin regarding what might need to happen next to move this forward.

[Heidi Alexander]

As I said to my hon. Friend the Member for Leyton and Wanstead (Mr Bailey), there are a whole number of steps subsequent to the ORR decision, which we welcomed. We are keen to see the stations at both Ashford and Ebbsfleet reopened, and I will be talking to all operators that are interested in making that a reality.

[Euan Stainbank (Falkirk) (Lab)]

Considering the imminent publication of the 10-year bus pipeline and rapidly rising Chinese market share in UK bus orders, will the Minister expand on what the Government will do to ensure that domestic manufacturers have a level playing field, which the SNP’s infamous ScotZEB2 shopping list for Chinese manufacturers dismally failed to deliver?

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[Tom Tugendhat (Tonbridge) (Con)]

The Secretary of State will know that there is no mandate for TfL beyond the bounds of London—little enough within it. Does she agree that it has absolutely no mandate to increase the price on rail fares to Tonbridge by extending the peak hours system in London to areas where there is now talk of putting in contactless? Will she assure me that rail fares to Tonbridge and to Borough Green will not go up through a contactless increase?

[Heidi Alexander]

The expansion of the contactless system to wider areas of the south-east is, I am sure, welcomed by the right hon. Gentleman’s constituents, given the convenience that it gives them. [Interruption.] He shakes his head, but I can tell him that there are a lot of hon. Members across this House who are delighted with the roll-out of pay-as-you-go. If he wants to write to me with the detail of his concern, I would be happy to come back to him.

[Callum Anderson (Buckingham and Bletchley) (Lab)]

East West Rail promises to be hugely transformative for Bletchley, positioning the town as a key economic hub, not only between London and Birmingham but between Oxford and Cambridge. With a new eastern entrance at Bletchley station, we can unlock the jobs and investment that will not only revitalise the town centre, but deliver a modern gateway for visitors to Bletchley Park. We have local backing; we just need some local funding. Will the Secretary of State meet me and key strategic partners to discuss how we can realise that opportunity?

[Heidi Alexander]

I am very happy to ask the Rail Minister to meet my hon. Friend. East West Rail could be transformative for his constituency; indeed, I saw one of his recent Instagram posts explaining some of the improvements at Bletchley. That probably says more about what I am viewing on Instagram than anything else! I have full confidence in the ability of the railway to transform the travel experience for his constituents.

[Max Wilkinson (Cheltenham) (LD)]

The Spring bridge in my constituency was designed by Isambard Kingdom Brunel. The previous county council administration put off vital work to fix the bridge after a landslip. What can the Government do to help the current Liberal Democrat administration speed up the work to get it completed, and will the Government encourage the county council to open one lane as soon as possible, for the benefit of businesses and residents who are being put off by diversions?

[Heidi Alexander]

The hon. Member may wish to suggest to his council that it considers the process for securing money from the structures fund, which we will make an announcement on in the new year, as that fund is designed to help resolve the sorts of situations that he describes in his constituency.

[Martin Vickers (Brigg and Immingham) (Con)]

There is a growing body of evidence about the dangers caused by headlight glare. I know the Department is doing its own research on this. Could the Minister give an indication of when new regulations might be brought forward to reduce the risks?

East West Rail: Autumn Announcement 2025

Heidi Alexander Excerpts

Wednesday 19th November 2025 Written Statements

[The Secretary of State for Transport (Heidi Alexander)]

East West Rail will unlock growth and productivity and benefit communities right across the Oxford-Cambridge corridor. It will create faster, more direct rail connections and improve access to employment, training, and education.

East West Rail is a central part of the Government’s plans for growth in the region and has the potential to support up to 100,000 new homes, providing well connected, sustainable communities. By 2050, East West Rail is set to boost the regional economies of the counties between Oxford and Cambridge by £6.7 billion every year.

Major infrastructure work for the first stage of East West Rail between Oxford and Milton Keynes via Bicester Village has now been delivered and is operational for freight and charter trains. The Department is supporting Chiltern Railways as it works closely with unions and other industry partners to get services on the first phase of East West Rail up and running as soon as possible.

At the 2025 spending review, the Government announced £2.5 billion to progress the next stages of the scheme. East West Railway Company has today published its “You Said, We Did” report setting out updated proposals for the railway and how feedback from the 2024 non-statutory consultation has been considered in its plans. The updated proposals include:

Increasing capacity on the line to deliver more frequent services for passengers;

Consolidation of stations along the Marston Vale Line (Bletchley-Bedford) into four new, modern and accessible stations on new sites at Woburn Sands, Ridgmont, Lidlington, and Stewartby;

Plans for the new station at Bedford St Johns and for the redevelopment of Bedford station to improve passenger experience and access to the station;

Updated options for the replacement of Bicester London Road level crossing;

The proposed alignment of the railway and the new east coast main line interchange station at Tempsford;

The location of the new station at Cambourne;



A new station at Cambridge East, subject to third party funding; and

Partial-discontinuous electrification of the line to provide passenger services using hybrid battery-electric trains.

The latest proposals for East West Rail reflect the Government’s commitment to realising the full potential of the Oxford-Cambridge corridor and delivering improved connectivity for communities in the region.

East West Rail Company will continue to engage with local communities on the proposals ahead of further consultation in 2026 before finalising its application for a development consent order to build the railway. As part of its preparation for the DCO application, it is considering the opportunities from proposed reforms in the Planning and Infrastructure Bill.

The Department for Transport will be issuing updated safeguarding directions for East West Rail in line with today’s announcement. I am placing a copy of the safeguarding directions in the Library in both Houses.

[HCWS1068]