Asked by: Jo Platt (Labour (Co-op) - Leigh and Atherton)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment his Department has made of the potential costs and benefits of installing a rail line and station to the town of Leigh.
Answered by Paul Maynard
The Department for Transport has not made an assessment of the potential costs and benefits of installing a rail line and station to the town of Leigh.
The Government’s policy is that it is for local authorities and Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs) to determine the best way to meet local transport needs and take the first step in evaluating benefits and prioritising available resources. It would be for Transport for Greater Manchester to develop such plans and seek funding opportunities.
Asked by: Jo Platt (Labour (Co-op) - Leigh and Atherton)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions he has had with Transport for the North on plans to connect Leigh with the Northern Powerhouse Rail project.
Answered by Paul Maynard
The vision for Northern Powerhouse Rail is being developed in line with the 2015 Northern Transport Strategy developed jointly by the Government and Transport for the North. The Department has regular discussions with Transport for the North on Northern Powerhouse Rail (NPR) and we look forward to receiving their proposals next year. We understand that Transport for the North favours using HS2 as a core part of the NPR between Manchester and Liverpool, thus integrating HS2 and NPR and maximising use of the HS2 investment. Based on the HS2 route, that would preclude NPR services being routed via Leigh.
However, as part of the development of HS2, Leigh’s closest station, Wigan North Western, will be served by HS2 trains following completion of HS2 Phase One in 2026, and by 2033 will be served by HS2 trains from London, Birmingham, Preston and Scotland. This will benefit Leigh residents.
In addition the Government has provided Greater Manchester Combined Authority with £2.5m to develop HS2 Growth Strategies, which include plans for improving connectivity across Greater Manchester to the planned HS2 stations. Greater Manchester Combined Authority and Transport for Greater Manchester are advancing their wider plans for connectivity across the city region through their Greater Manchester 2040 Transport Strategy.
Asked by: Jo Platt (Labour (Co-op) - Leigh and Atherton)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will devolve management of the Northern Powerhouse Rail project to Transport for the North.
Answered by Paul Maynard
The Government has set up Transport for the North and is providing it with funding to develop Northern Powerhouse Rail proposals which improve journeys for transport users and provide good value for taxpayers’ money.
I am expecting to receive costed proposals with relevant business cases from TfN soon. The expectation is that any major proposals would be dependent on central Government funding. Therefore the Government must retain an approval role, ensuring that proposals are affordable and represent good value for taxpayers’ money.
It is in all of our interests that the Government and the North work collaboratively to improve transport in the region and we have an expectation that TfN will continue to work with the Department in developing its options.
Asked by: Jo Platt (Labour (Co-op) - Leigh and Atherton)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 14 November 2017 to Question 112096, on Railways: North of England, what assessment has been undertaken on the cases where serving locations on the planned Northern Powerhouse Rail between cities may enhance the business case, and therefore be beneficial.
Answered by Paul Maynard
In addition to the cities outlined in the March 2015 document “The Northern Powerhouse: One Agenda, One Economy, One North”, Transport for the North are considering whether other significant economic centres between these cities could be served by Northern Powerhouse Rail and enhance the business case. This includes assessing the economic benefits and costs of serving Warrington, Huddersfield, Bradford, York, Darlington and Durham.
These areas are being considered on the basis that they form significant markets in their own right and are geographically located on likely corridors that future NPR routes could take.
These considerations will form part of the business case for NPR which Transport for the North are preparing for the end of 2018.
Asked by: Jo Platt (Labour (Co-op) - Leigh and Atherton)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 7 November 2017 to Question 110675, whether the announced £300 million of infrastructure spending related to Northern Powerhouse Rail will be allocated including spending on connectivity to that project.
Answered by Paul Maynard
The £300m of funding announced by my RHF the Chancellor of the Exchequer is the direct costs of making passive provision on HS2 for junctions which would allow HS2 infrastructure to accommodate potential future Northern Powerhouse Rail and Midlands Connect services.
Asked by: Jo Platt (Labour (Co-op) - Leigh and Atherton)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions his Department has had with Transport for the North on the route of the proposed Liverpool to Manchester line of the Northern Powerhouse Rail project.
Answered by Paul Maynard
The Department works closely with Transport for the North on Northern Powerhouse Rail (NPR), not least because the Government is funding the work on this issue.
Through this work, the Department recognises the advantage of using HS2 as a core part of the NPR network between Manchester and Liverpool, thus integrating HS2 and NPR and maximising use of the HS2 investment. That is why the £300m announced by my RHF the Chancellor of the Exchequer in October includes passive provision for junctions to enable such links. Transport for the North are considering options arising from the potential HS2 junction to Liverpool which offer good value for taxpayers’ money. We look forward to receiving NPR proposals next year.
Asked by: Jo Platt (Labour (Co-op) - Leigh and Atherton)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 7 November 2017 to Question 110552, what discussions his Department has had with Transport for the North on connecting Leigh to the planned Northern Powerhouse Rail.
Answered by Paul Maynard
The vision for Northern Powerhouse Rail is being developed in line with the 2015 Northern Transport Strategy developed jointly by the Government and Transport for the North. The Department has regular discussions with Transport for the North on Northern Powerhouse Rail (NPR) and we look forward to receiving their proposals next year.
We understand that Transport for the North favours using HS2 as a core part of the NPR between Manchester and Liverpool, thus integrating HS2 and NPR and maximising use of the HS2 investment. Based on the HS2 route, that would preclude NPR services being routed via Leigh.
However, as part of the development of HS2, Leigh’s closest station, Wigan North Western, will be served by HS2 trains following completion of HS2 Phase One in 2026, and by 2033 will be served by HS2 trains from London, Birmingham, Preston and Scotland. This will benefit Leigh residents.
In addition the Government has provided Greater Manchester Combined Authority with £2.5m to develop HS2 Growth Strategies, which include plans for improving connectivity across Greater Manchester to the planned HS2 stations. Greater Manchester Combined Authority and Transport for Greater Manchester are advancing their wider plans for connectivity across the city region through their Greater Manchester 2040 Transport Strategy.
Asked by: Jo Platt (Labour (Co-op) - Leigh and Atherton)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 7 November 2017 to Question 110675, whether the announced £300 million of infrastructure spending related to Northern Powerhouse Rail will be devolved directly to Transport for the North.
Answered by Paul Maynard
The £300m of funding announced by my RHF the Chancellor of the Exchequer is the direct costs of making passive provision on HS2 for junctions which would allow HS2 infrastructure to accommodate potential future Northern Powerhouse Rail and Midlands Connect services.
We anticipate that this passive provision would be a matter for Parliamentary approval through the relevant HS2 Hybrid Bill in due course. Responsibility for the design and construction of HS2 lies with HS2 Ltd who will be funded to undertake this work.
Asked by: Jo Platt (Labour (Co-op) - Leigh and Atherton)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether the planned £300 million infrastructure spending to connect Northern towns and cities with High Speed 2 will be allocated for strategic planning purposes in addition to certification purposes.
Answered by Paul Maynard
I refer the Hon Member to the answer I gave the Hon Member for Leigh on the 7 November 2017 (UIN 110675).
Asked by: Jo Platt (Labour (Co-op) - Leigh and Atherton)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what criteria his Department has given to Transport for the North for the location of the (a) line and (b) stations on the Northern Powerhouse Rail.
Answered by Paul Maynard
The March 2015 document “The Northern Powerhouse: One Agenda, One Economy, One North” was jointly produced by Government, Northern city regions and local enterprise partnerships. That outlined a shared vision for rail services across the North designed to radically improve journey times and frequencies between major cities to support a single economy. The document also noted that projects in the northern transport strategy will need to offer good value for taxpayer’s money.
This provides the backdrop for development of the northern powerhouse rail network. Work since 2015 has identified that as well as city centre to city centre services, there could be cases where serving locations between the cities could enhance the business case for investment and so be beneficial.
It is for Transport for the North to come forward with proposals that respond to the vision and have a positive business case. We look forward to receiving those proposals next year.