Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the (a) feasibility and (b) potential merits of completing work on the Northern Powerhouse Rail at the same time as High Speed Two.

The delivery of High Speed Two is integral to the success of Northern Powerhouse Rail and these two transformational projects will be complimentary to each other, as outlined in TfN’s Strategic Transport Plan.

In October 2017 the Chancellor announced £300m of funding to futureproof HS2 to accommodate future Northern Powerhouse Rail services.

Potential timescales for the delivery will be considered as part of the ongoing work on the business case for Northern Powerhouse Rail.