Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with Northern Rail about the provision of additional services on the Esk Valley railway from Middlesbrough to Whitby, following the extra funding secured for these services by the Community Rail Partnership.

The Government understands the importance of this line and welcomes the funding secured to improve its services. These plans are linked to a wider development vision for Whitby. Transport for the North is supporting North Yorkshire County Council on the delivery of this important Esk Valley project and will be leading aspects of the project going forwards. In delivering extra services, the priority is to find a solution that is affordable and acceptable to all stakeholders with the aim of helping deliver improved transport opportunities to support the economy of North Yorkshire. Northern is currently working with Network Rail to look at the feasibility of running an earlier service from Whitby to Middlesbrough from December 2019.