Asked by: Tom Hunt (Conservative - Ipswich)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of funding for bus services in Suffolk.
Answered by Richard Holden - Shadow Secretary of State for Transport
The Government pays over £200 million directly to bus operators every year through the Bus Service Operators Grant (BSOG) to help keep fares down and maintain a larger network than would otherwise be possible. The Government also provides £42 million annually in BSOG funding to Local Transport Authorities, of which Suffolk County Council receives almost £615,000, to fund socially necessary bus services.
Since 1 January, the majority of single bus journeys in England outside London have been capped at £2 thanks to Government support via the Bus Fare Cap Grant. The initial phase of the scheme, through to 31 March, is backed by up to £60 million. On 17 February, we announced that we will provide up to £75 million to extend the £2 bus fare cap until 30 June 2023
This takes total Government funding to over £2 billion in emergency and recovery funding to Local Transport Authorities and bus operators since March 2020, of which Suffolk County Council has been allocated over £5 million. This is in addition to the funding we have provided directly to bus operators to maintain bus services through this route.
Suffolk County Council has also been allocated £824,737 in capacity and capability funding for bus service improvements for the period 2021/22 to 2024/25. This funding is intended to support them with employing dedicated resource for the next three years to help deliver their Bus Service Improvement Plans and Enhanced Partnerships.
Asked by: Tom Hunt (Conservative - Ipswich)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of existing rail infrastructure in supporting the Freeport East project.
Answered by Huw Merriman
We recognise the potential opportunities for the UK generated by Freeport East at the ports of Felixstowe and Harwich, as well as the value of rail access to ports, with schemes such as the partial doubling of the Felixstowe branch line completing in 2019. Freeport status will be considered in relation to transport upgrades in the region.
Asked by: Tom Hunt (Conservative - Ipswich)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make an estimate of the average number of days of disrupted service from weekend engineering works in the last 12 months on rail lines in England comparable to the London to Ipswich service.
Answered by Huw Merriman
The comparison requested cannot be done at short notice as it takes time for the data to be created. Network Rail will write to the MP and a copy of the letter will be placed in the Libraries of the House.
It is worth noting that it is difficult to make such a comparison. The Great Eastern Mainline (GEML) has 20 miles of four-track from London as far as Shenfield.
Asked by: Tom Hunt (Conservative - Ipswich)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to help reduce the (a) frequency and (b) disruption to service from weekend engineering works on rail services from London to Ipswich.
Answered by Huw Merriman
The Great Eastern Main Line is a very busy line, not just with passenger services throughout the day, but also freight services which can run during the night. Identifying opportunities to close the line can be challenging but carrying out essential maintenance and upgrades can improve reliability and the passenger experience. As the line is so busy and frequently used by heavy freight trains, some of the equipment wears out more quickly. Network Rail needs to strike a balance between the disruption caused by engineering work and the need to run a safe, reliable service.
Network Rail recently looked at whether it remains appropriate for the rail industry to carry out engineering works on bank holiday weekends and during holiday periods. Network Rail aims to ensure there is always a strong case for engineering works, which considers the varied impact on passengers and businesses across different regions and industries. It will continue to work to better understand how disruption impacts long-term travel patterns by rail and to provide passengers with information about disruption as far as possible in advance through a wide range of outlets.
Asked by: Tom Hunt (Conservative - Ipswich)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department is taking steps to support local authorities in reducing traffic congestion in town centres.
Answered by Richard Holden - Shadow Secretary of State for Transport
The causes of congestion can be systemic, for example increasing population and urbanisation, or more localised, for example network pinch points, inadequate public transport or road works. Measures to combat congestion can be aimed at increasing capacity and / or decreasing demand.
Local traffic authorities have a statutory duty under the Traffic Management Act 2004 to manage their networks with the aim of ‘securing the expeditious movement of traffic’. The Department for Transport helps local authorities in achieving this by supporting sustainable alternative modes and providing design and other guidance as well as investment in infrastructure and innovative, data-led solutions.
The Government has already made record amounts of funding available to local authorities for investment in active travel schemes since the start of the pandemic. The second statutory Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy, published in July of this year, reiterated the Government’s commitment to this important agenda and set out the funding that is projected to be spent on it from 2020/21 to 2024/25.
The National Bus Strategy asked that all English Local Transport Authorities outside London publish Bus Service Improvement Plans, setting out local visions for the step-change in bus services that is needed, driven by what passengers and would-be passengers want. We have awarded over £1 billion to deliver service improvements, bus priority and ambitious fares initiatives.
The Government continues to invest in new technologies and the use of data to better manage road networks and provide accurate data about events such as congestion, to road users. For example, the department has invested several million pounds in creating ‘Street Manager’, a data platform which helps highway authorities and utility companies to plan and co-ordinate their road works.
Asked by: Tom Hunt (Conservative - Ipswich)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department is taking steps to complete the proposed upgrades to Ely North junction under the Ely area capacity enhancement scheme.
Answered by Huw Merriman
We are carefully reviewing the Rail Network Enhancements Pipeline for England and Wales, following the Autumn Statement. We remain committed to publishing an update on RNEP and this will confirm the status of the Ely Area Capacity Enhancement, including upgrades to Ely North Junction.
Asked by: Tom Hunt (Conservative - Ipswich)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department is taking steps to restore a full two-track junction at Haughley Junction in Suffolk.
Answered by Huw Merriman
Following the Autumn Statement on 17 November we are reviewing the Rail Network Enhancements Pipeline (RNEP) for England and Wales, including the Haughley Junction scheme, and will publish an update to the RNEP in due course.
Asked by: Tom Hunt (Conservative - Ipswich)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many times the London to Ipswich rail service has been disrupted by weekend engineering works in the last 12 months.
Answered by Huw Merriman
In 2022, there have been eight single days (two Saturdays and six Sundays) of disruption due to weekend engineering works and 11 full weekends of disruption.
There will also be disruption from a blockade from 27 December 2022 to 3 January 2023 (with five days in 2022). This means in 2022 there will have been a total of 35 days of disruption due to weekend engineering works.
Asked by: Tom Hunt (Conservative - Ipswich)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment his Department has made on the impact of park and ride schemes on congestion in Town centres.
Answered by Karl McCartney
The details of how park and ride schemes operate are a matter for local authorities and bus operators concerned.
As set out in the National Bus Strategy published last year, the Government want to see an expansion of park and ride sites in local areas. We have asked Local Transport Authorities to consider parking proposals in their Bus Service Improvement Plans, to improve bus services and encourage modal shift to public transport.
New Local Transport Plan guidance, that we plan to consult on later this year, will also encourage local authorities to consider park and ride sites in their local transport plans if this is something that is appropriate for their area.
Asked by: Tom Hunt (Conservative - Ipswich)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much investment the region of the East of England has received in rail transport infrastructure in comparison to the other regions of England since 2019.
Answered by Wendy Morton - Shadow Minister (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Regional figures on public sector capital expenditure estimates are published in HM Treasury’s Country and Regional Analysis (CRA):
https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/country-and-regional-analysis
Capital expenditure has been used as a proxy for spending on infrastructure.
Capital railway expenditure attributed to the East of England for the financial years 2019-2020 and 2020-2021 was £1.8bn. This was approximately 7% of all UK capital railway expenditure (see the attached Table 1).