Asked by: Ann Davies (Plaid Cymru - Caerfyrddin)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will make an assessment of the adequacy of levels of funding provided by the UK Government for railways in Wales.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The level of investment across the different parts of the railway network is determined by the needs of the network, value for money and meeting the Government’s priorities. The benefits of this spend can accrue in geographically distant locations. The funding for the day-to-day running and renewal of the railway was determined via the comprehensive regulatory processes led by the independent regulator, the Office of Rail and Road.
Network Rail spending on operations, maintenance, and renewals in Wales for the five years between 2024 and 2029 is forecast to be £2.5 billion. This will be used to address climate effects, improve train performance from current levels, and invest in the areas that matter most to passengers and freight users. The Government had made a further commitment of at least £445 million of rail enhancements funding for Wales, and plans for future rail investment in Wales will be made in close consultation with the Wales Rail Board. This will be consulted ahead of the next Spending Review so that Wales’ long-term infrastructure needs continue to be recognised.
Asked by: Lord Berkeley (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what is the current status of the Euston Delivery Company, its Board, its remit, and its financial information
Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
The Government’s 10-Year Infrastructure Strategy confirmed that a Euston Delivery Company (EDC) will be established to oversee development of and be the single directing authority for the whole Euston campus. Its primary role will be to lead, integrate, and deliver a modern, safe, and revitalised transport gateway and support commercial development around the Campus.
The Government is working on the design and establishment of the new Delivery Company, with further details to be set out in due course once it has been formally established.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate she has made of the costs to port developers of the requirement in paragraph 4.7.23 of the draft National Policy Statement for Ports to provide infrastructure to support alternative fuels and zero-emission HGVs.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The costs of providing appropriate infrastructure will be determined on a case-by-case basis as applications progress. The final text of the National Policy Statement for Ports will be published in due course.
Asked by: Ann Davies (Plaid Cymru - Caerfyrddin)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will take steps to ensure that areas in Wales that will not receive rail funding from the £445 million announced at the Spending Review 2025 receive rail investment from the UK Government.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Through the Wales Rail Board, the priorities for rail investment across all regions of Wales are discussed and agreed with the Welsh Government and Transport for Wales. The Wales Rail Board includes representation from the Department for Transport, Network Rail, the Welsh Government and Transport for Wales, and has been established to provide joint strategic direction for rail service development in Wales. It will continue to be consulted ahead of future Spending Reviews so that Wales’ long-term infrastructure needs continue to be recognised.
In addition to the £445 million rail enhancements funding committed to Wales, Network Rail is forecast to spend £2.5 billion on rail operations, maintenance, and renewals across the whole of Wales in the five years between 2024 and 2029. This will be used to address climate effects, improve train performance from current levels, and invest in the areas that matter most to passengers and freight users.
Asked by: Olly Glover (Liberal Democrat - Didcot and Wantage)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of the ability of autonomous systems to correctly interpret traffic signals at complex or partially obscured junctions in dense urban environments.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Self-driving vehicles will be expected to operate safely and legally on GB's road infrastructure as it currently exists, just as human drivers do now. Although not essential for safe self-driving, adaptations to roads and other infrastructure have the potential to bring benefits to both conventional and self-driving vehicles. Some functions for Connected and Automated Mobility (CAM) technology, for example routing services, will require connectivity. Road authorities may choose to develop their networks to maximise the benefits of new technologies.
Asked by: Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat - Newton Abbot)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment her Department has made of the recent damage to the Dawlish sea wall and related coastal infrastructure in Devon caused by Storm Ingrid and other severe weather events; and what plans her Department has to support long-term coastal resilience improvements for that infrastructure.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The £165 million of investment into storm resilience around Dawlish after storms in 2014 has significantly improved resilience in this area. Despite the frequency of recent storms and their intensity, the works done since 2014 held up well and there were only two areas of damage, one a low wall between the coastal path and the railway, and the other a small breach some distance from the line, both of which have been made safe. The railway was not closed for long other than during the storms themselves, and held up remarkably well, a tribute to the works done since 2014. Nevertheless, Network Rail will continue to plan for similar events and pursue actions to keep the railway running reliably.
Asked by: Lord Bassam of Brighton (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they are examining road access issues relating to the south, south-west and west regions in considering the future of the Heathrow Express service; and whether those considerations will cover the optimal public transport solutions for an expanded Heathrow Airport.
Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
The Government recognises the vital role that surface access will play as part of any future expansion of Heathrow Airport. As part of the review of the Airports National Policy Statement (ANPS), launched on 22 October 2025, we will consider the transport infrastructure required to support a third runway. This will include rail and road connectivity, alongside public transport mode share targets and will consider the impacts for travellers from different regions. While it would not be appropriate to pre-empt the outcome of the ANPS review at this stage, it will be the responsibility of any expansion promoter to set out a surface access strategy demonstrating how they will meet the requirements set out in the ANPS.
My department is currently considering the future ownership structure of the Heathrow Express, and a decision will be announced in due course.
Asked by: Scott Arthur (Labour - Edinburgh South West)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what action her department is taking to support the use of digital twin technologies across the UK's transport system.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Since the publication in 2023 of Transport Research and Innovation Board’s Transport Digital Twin Vision and Roadmap to 2035, DfT has established a dedicated team to lead a digital twins programme, aligned with the Transport AI Action Plan (2025).
This has already enabled the development of a diverse research programme, including the £46m TransiT research hub to decarbonise transport through digital twins; and a £5m programme to improve crisis response and resilience. These are providing the new tools and skills to ensure UK leadership in this key emerging technology.
To enable business case development and improve adoption, in 2024 DfT published its Economic Benefits Analysis for Integrated Transport Digital Twins, quantifying the key benefits this technology can bring to the UK economy, estimated to £1.85bn over the next decade.
Finally, DfT has directly supported industry innovation by funding innovative digital twin projects through the Transport Research Innovation Grants and the Freight Innovation Fund, to improve rail maintenance, traffic flow, urban resilience, better EV charging infrastructure and port operations.
Asked by: Al Pinkerton (Liberal Democrat - Surrey Heath)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department is taking to mitigate the risk of landslips affecting railway infrastructure in (a) Surrey and (b) Surrey Heath constituency.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Network Rail, as the owner and operator of Britain’s railway infrastructure, is responsible for managing geotechnical risks and ensuring the safe and reliable operation of the network, including in Surrey and the Surrey Heath constituency. It undertakes continuous monitoring of high-risk sites, regular inspections, and targeted earthworks renewals to reduce the likelihood and impact of landslips.‑risk sites, regular inspections, and targeted earthworks renewals to reduce the likelihood and impact of landslips.
In the South East, Network Rail has recently strengthened its earthworks resilience programme, including enhanced drainage, slope stabilisation works and the use of remote monitoring technology to identify movement at an early stage. Following the extreme weather over the last year, Network Rail has also carried out additional precautionary inspections to prioritise any sites where further intervention may be required. My department maintains regular oversight of Network Rail’s national resilience programme through its funding settlements and business planning processes.
Asked by: Lewis Cocking (Conservative - Broxbourne)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to Written Statement HCWS1232 on 12 January 2025, what steps she is taking to minimise disruption to road users as a result of additional highways maintenance.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Government has provided a record investment of £7.3 billion for local highways maintenance over the next four years. Investing into improving the condition of local roads is crucial to reduce disruption to motorists, for whom potholes can pose a safety risk or lead to damage to vehicles.
Local highway authorities themselves are responsible for maintaining their network and for the delivery of maintenance works. By providing them with long-term funding certainty, the Department enables them to move away from reactive repairs towards planned and preventative maintenance approaches. These keep roads in good condition for longer, prevent potholes from forming, and reduce the need for unplanned emergency repairs which can often lead to the greatest disruption.
In addition, the Department has introduced an incentive element to its highways maintenance funding. To gain access to their full funding allocation, local highway authorities will have to publish highways maintenance transparency reports and set out how they comply with best practice, including in relation to minimising disruption to road users. This is also considered by the Department’s recently published rating system for local highway authorities. The ratings will be updated annually to provide an incentive to local highway authorities to adopt best practice, and to enable the Department to identify where they need to improve and to support them. Further guidance on minimising disruption from maintenance works is also available in the Code of Practice for Well Managed Highway Infrastructure.