Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what progress he has made on the plan for the trans-Pennine tunnel.

The initial phase of work carried out by Highways England and Transport for the North, which sought to understand the cost and benefits of linking Manchester and Sheffield via a tunnel, found that while a long tunnel under the Peak District National Park was technically feasible, it was unaffordable and offered poor value for money. Further work is under way to examine the strategic, economic and environmental case for a shorter tunnel under the most environmentally sensitive areas of the National Park. This work is expected to report by the end of the year.