Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the Rails to Recovery report into improvements on the Shrewsbury-Black Country-Birmingham line.

I am grateful to Midlands Connect for producing this report, which provides useful insight into the case for, and potential benefits of, enhancing the line between Shrewsbury and Wolverhampton.

As noted in the report, a Strategic Outline Business Case is the next stage, which I hope to receive from Midlands Connect this winter.