Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what discussions his Department has had with the Department for Transport on the potential merits of improving rail infrastructure on the Durham heritage coast in order to promote employment opportunities and inward investment in East Durham.

Through its Growth Deal the North East Local Enterprise Partnership has prioritised £3.44m of funding through the Local Growth Fund (LGF) for the construction of a new station at Horden (Peterlee) on the Durham Coast line. The station will improve local travel links and improved access to more employment opportunities in the East Durham area and beyond.

In November 2016 the Department for Transport received an application to the second round of the New Stations Fund from Durham County Council to support the construction of the station. The Department for Transport is currently evaluating all bids against the qualifying and assessment criteria.

Also as part of the new Northern Franchise which operates on the Durham Coast line, Seaham will benefit from an additional early morning service to Middlesbrough and later evening service from Newcastle by May 2018. Also by 2020 the Pacer trains currently in operation will have been removed from the fleet.