Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what the criteria were for choosing the list of potential rail reopenings in paragraph 2.43 of the policy paper Connecting People: a strategic vision for rail (Cm 9519); and why the reopening of the Colne to Skipton portion of the Preston to Leeds line via Blackburn and Burnley was not included.

The schemes mentioned in paragraph 2.43 of ‘Connecting people: a strategic vision for rail’ were provided as illustrative examples only. All schemes will need to demonstrate a strong business case when seeking any available government funding, and will be considered on their merits whether they are mentioned in the strategy or not.