Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans his Department has to invest in strategic transport infrastructure in the Colne Valley constituency.

The Department is spending over £13bn from 2015 up to 2020 to transform transport across the North. Investments that benefit the Colne Valley constituency include the planned upgrade of the M62 to Smart Motorway between Junction 20 (Rochdale) and Junction 25 (Brighouse), which is due to start construction before 2019/20.

On rail, we are spending £2.6m to lengthen the platforms at Slaithwaite and Marsden, so they can accommodate the longer 5-car Northern services that are due to enter service after the May 2018 timetable change. Between 2019 and 2024, the Department will invest £3 billion to upgrade the Transpennine Route and it is working with Network Rail and Rail North to determine how this can deliver significant benefits for passengers. A phased introduction of improvements is planned from 2022.