Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he plans to take to improve train services in Kingston upon Hull North constituency.

In its December 2022 timetable TransPennine Express introduced direct services from Hull to Liverpool through Manchester, allowing for direct ‘coast to coast’ services and re-establishing a historic rail link between the two port cities.

We will take an adaptive approach to investment when considering any future projects as part of the Northern Powerhouse Rail programme – looking at how well current projects are going, and at how demand and economic growth recover.

In the meantime, we are investing in the station and associated facilities - the Hull gateline project is ongoing, aimed at specific areas of concern around ticketless travel and anti–social behaviour, and TPE is installing a new train-cleaning facility to improve performance and asset availability.

As well as the above, Hull Trains is an open access operator currently running up to 94 direct services from Hull and the Humber to London every week, providing improved connectivity for communities throughout the region.