Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much was invested in improving railway infrastructure in each region of England and Wales in each year since 2010.

Figures on public sector spend at a regional and national level are part of the Government’s Country and Regional Analysis (CRA) statistics. CRA statistics for all capital expenditure by central and local governments and other public bodies on rail transport are provided in the table below.

The benefits from this spend on transport interventions will often accrue to passengers far beyond the residents of the immediate local area or region. This is particularly the case for spending on the railways which connect cities and regions across the country and delivery broader benefits beyond the region concerned. Whilst the CRA attempts to allocate expenditure on the basis of which region benefits from the spend, rather than where it is made, inevitably allocations are not always precise.

Regarding spend in London, London has a substantial number of daily commuters and visitors, both domestically and internationally, who will be using and benefitting from the public transport networks in London but who aren’t residents in London.

The unique scale and urban density of London by comparison to other parts of the country also means that it is particularly adapted to large scale public transport networks.

Public expenditure (capital) on rail by year and region, from 2009-10. Source: HMT.

Nominal values in £ millions