Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans his Department has for the long-term capacity of the East Coast Main Line between Berwick and Northallerton.

The Integrated Rail Plan for the North and Midlands – which is looking at how best to deliver High Speed 2 Phase 2b, Northern Powerhouse Rail and other Network Rail programmes – will be published soon. The Department recognises the strategic importance of the East Coast Main Line (ECML) and is working with Network Rail to identify the infrastructure upgrades needed to increase capacity between Northallerton and Newcastle. Network Rail is also preparing an assessment of the Newcastle to Edinburgh section of the ECML and, together with the Integrated Rail Plan, this will help the Department assess the long-term capacity requirements of the route.