Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to increase capacity on popular train routes between London and (a) Chester, (b) Greater Manchester and (c) major cities in the North of England.

We are committed to investing in infrastructure and we have been and continue to work on increasing rail capacity. On the West Coast Main Line, the conversion of 21 first class carriages to standard class has added more than 5,000 standard class seats a day, and the West Coast Partnership competition presents an opportunity to further increase capacity on the route. Upgrades to the Midland Main Line will enable increased passenger capacity and reduced journey times between Sheffield and London; there will be almost 50% more seats into London St Pancras in the peak compared to today. Work on the East Coast Main Line will see an 84% increase in seating on services to and from London, with increased service frequency providing additional capacity to Leeds and Newcastle, and new direct services to Middlesbrough and Harrogate.

The Government is committed to deliver High Speed Two (HS2). HS2 services will connect London and cities in the North of England including Manchester, Leeds, Liverpool, Crewe, Sheffield, York and Newcastle. Once completed in 2033, it will more than double the number of seats available out of Euston Station in the evening rush hour, relieving the pressure on commuters. By shifting long-distance services onto the new railway HS2 will also release space on existing routes and provide options for new or additional local, cross-country, commuter and freight services in many areas. The capacity and connectivity benefits associated with the full HS2 network are set out in the Phase Two strategic case, published in July 2017.https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/629393/high-speed-two-phase-two-strategic-case.pdf