Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what his timescale is for announcing the next stage of the process for selecting a preferred developer for a southern rail link to Heathrow Airport.

The Department has not undertaken a procurement process to select a preferred developer for a Southern Rail Link to Heathrow. Following the publication of the Market Sounding Report which showed that none of the schemes put forward were able to advance without Government support, and in line with the Report recommendations, the Department has been working to further develop and clarify the outcomes we want to be delivered from this project and consider appropriate commercial and procurement models. This work will be made available to the market by the summer along with further engagement opportunities.