Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Oral Statement of 29 November 2017, Official Report, Column 339 on Rail Update, if he will provide details of the process to establish business cases to develop proposals to open new railway lines between (a) Marks Tey and Cambridge, (b) Witham and Maldon and (c) Witham and Stansted.

We will consider future investment options under a new process for rail enhancements, which we will set out early in the New Year. The new process will focus our rail investments on delivering outcomes for rail users, and will require sufficiently strong business cases to be provided at each stage of development before investment. As the railway lines suggested would serve local markets and the local economy, we would expect these business cases to be promoted, funded and developed locally. Guidance on developing business cases is published by HM Treasury in “The Green Book; Appraisal and Evaluation in Central Government.”