East Midland Railway Collision

Debate between Navendu Mishra and Heidi Alexander

Monday 22nd June 2026 Commons Chamber

[Heidi Alexander]

I give my hon. Friend the reassurance that the line will not be reopened until it is absolutely safe to do so. There are detailed procedures to be gone through in order to ensure that the railway is safe to resume services. We need to remove the trains from the track, as I set out, and repair the damage that will have been done to overhead-line equipment and the tracks. I assure her that Network Rail, the train operating company, and my Department will ensure that everything is done so that the line is safe when it reopens.

[Navendu Mishra (Stockport) (Lab)]

The thoughts and prayers of the people of Stockport are with Shaun Burton’s family and friends. East Midlands Railway serves Stockport and connects us to Sheffield, Nottingham and beyond, so I thank all EMR staff and the railway workers who support those services. Can the Secretary of State reassure the House that British Transport police, the rail accident investigation branch, and EMR will have the support of her Department and the wider Government with the investigation?

[Heidi Alexander]

I can assure my hon. Friend of that. This weekend, I spoke to Chief Constable Lucy D’Orsi of the BTP, and to the managing director of EMR. This morning, I was briefed by the safety director of Network Rail. We will ensure that the investigation that RAIB and BTP do independently is appropriately resourced. I will look carefully at any recommendations that are forthcoming on how we can improve safety on the railways.

Northern Powerhouse Rail

Debate between Navendu Mishra and Heidi Alexander

Wednesday 14th January 2026 Commons Chamber

[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.

Road and Rail Projects

Debate between Navendu Mishra and Heidi Alexander

Tuesday 8th July 2025 Commons Chamber

[Heidi Alexander]

As I said in response to a previous question, we will set out the delivery timetable for all the schemes that we are announcing today when we produce the next roads investment strategy. We will produce a draft of that later this year, and the final version will be published by March.

[Navendu Mishra (Stockport) (Lab)]

I welcome the Secretary of State’s statement, and I particularly thank her for the announcement just a few days ago of £2.5 billion for the public transport network in Greater Manchester. That is very welcome news. I have been campaigning for a long time for the extension of Manchester’s Metrolink tram network into my constituency, and I thank the Secretary of State and the Chancellor for funding the extension to Stockport town centre.

I have one ask. Reddish South train station in my constituency is one of the quietest railway stations in the UK, with just one service per week. The Friends of Reddish South Station group are very active, and I was with them on Sunday. Will the Secretary of State restore proper passenger services at Reddish South train station?

[Heidi Alexander]

I am pleased to hear that my hon. Friend welcomes the record investment in city regions that the Chancellor announced shortly before the spending review. It is worth nearly £16 billion across the country, and the extension of the tram network in Greater Manchester is a key part of that funding. I am aware of the campaign for a full service to Reddish South, and I encourage my hon. Friend to keep working with the Mayor of Greater Manchester and Transport for Greater Manchester to build the case for it.