Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps the Government is taking to increase the volume of rail freight from ports in the North of England.

In Control Period 5 (2014-2019), Government is investing £235m in the Strategic Freight Network – a ring fenced fund to support projects and enhancements where there is the opportunity for more freight to be transported by rail.

This investment includes W12 gauge clearance to allow higher and wider containers to be transported between the Port of Immingham and Doncaster. An Outline Business Case (OBC) is also being developed for a gauge clearance scheme from the Port of Tees to the ECML at Northallerton, jointly funded by Government and by the Tees Valley Combined Authority.

Government is working with Network Rail, Transport for the North, and the industry to develop options for investment in the network in CP6 in the North of England.