Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the effect on the total cost of the electrification of the Manchester to Leeds line will be of a delay in the starting of the project of (a) six months, (b) 12 months, (c) two years and (d) three years.

Any estimate would be significantly influenced by various external factors that will affect the cost and programme, for example resource availability, supplier markets, access regimes, inflation etc. Sir Peter Hendy will look at all of these issues and report to Government in the Autumn with proposals for how the rail upgrade programme will be carried out.