Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to increase rail freight capacity.

In Control Period 5 (2014-2019), Government made available £235m through the Strategic Freight Network fund, investing in projects to support rail freight growth. This includes a £60m contribution to a project to increase the number of trains able to serve the Port of Felixstowe, the largest container port in the UK.

There is funding available in Control Period 6 (2019-2024) for continued improvements to the rail network. Government is working with Network Rail and the freight industry to develop options for investment over the next five years.