Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what cost-benefit analysis his Department carries out prior to making a decision on whether to electrify rail lines.

The Department for Transport undertakes Cost-Benefit Analysis, using the guidance set out in WebTAG (available at https://www.gov.uk/guidance/transport-analysis-guidance-webtag), to inform enhancement decisions.

This analysis considers the impacts of alternative options to deliver a stated objective, and attempts to quantify them where possible. These impacts include the infrastructure costs of the scheme and the ongoing financial impacts for railway services, as well as the social impacts of the scheme for train users and other affected parties (such as road users and local residents). Wider economic impacts (such as making it easier for people to access more productive jobs) are also considered, where appropriate.