Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make an estimate of how many miles of rail could be reinstated if half the Government's £27 billion road building programme is used instead for that purpose.

We have a £10.4bn budget for rail enhancements in Control Period 6 (2019-2024), £500m of which is available for Restoring Your Railway schemes. All rail enhancement schemes are assessed on a case by case basis and have unique costs and benefits.

Through the second Road Investment Strategy, the Government is investing £27.4 billion in the operation, maintenance, renewal and enhancement of England’s Strategic Road Network (SRN) between 2020 and 2025. This investment focuses on both making journeys safer and more reliable, and minimising the SRN’s effects on adjacent local communities and environments.