Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of Freeport East on demand for rail freight transport in the East of England.

As part of Freeport bidding and business case process, consideration has been given to existing transport capabilities and capacity. Freeport East benefits from good existing road and rail freight links. Significant investment has enabled freight trains to operate into the port each day and means it is the UK’s busiest and best rail connected port. Freeports are in the initial stages of set-up and exact details of future growth and potential demand are not clear, and so no specific demand assessments have been made.