Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, which planned rail electrification projects have been cancelled in each of the last 10 years.

In the last seven years we have electrified more than 50 route miles and many more route miles are in the process of being electrified. This is much more than the 10 miles electrified by Labour in 13 years.

As my Rt Hon Friend the Secretary of State said on 20 July, however, technology is advancing quickly, and this means that we no longer need to electrify every line to achieve the same significant improvements to journeys.

Details on the sections of railway line where electrification is no longer considered necessary are contained in my Rt Hon Friend’s statement of 20 July.