Asked by: Max Wilkinson (Liberal Democrat - Cheltenham)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much funding her Department has been allocated for the Midlands Rail Hub.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Chancellor’s commitment to progress Midlands Rail Hub West in the 2025 Spending Review follows the release of £123 million last year to design the first phase, which could be delivered by the early 2030s.
Asked by: Saqib Bhatti (Conservative - Meriden and Solihull East)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much funding her Department plans to allocate to the Midlands Rail Hub, in the context of the Spending Review 2025.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Chancellor’s commitment to progress Midlands Rail Hub West in the 2025 Spending Review follows the release of £123 million last year to design the first phase, which could be delivered by the early 2030s.
Asked by: Wendy Morton (Conservative - Aldridge-Brownhills)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 5 September 2024 to Question 2344 on Railways: West Midlands, what impact her Department’s internal review of its capital spend portfolio had on the decision on Midlands Rail Hub.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
As referenced by the Chancellor, this settlement shows the government's commitment to progress Midlands Rail Hub West, strengthening connections between Birmingham, the South-West and Wales.
Asked by: Wendy Morton (Conservative - Aldridge-Brownhills)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the oral contribution of the Chancellor of the Exchequer at the Spending Review 2025 on 11 June 2025, what funding will be provided to progress the next stage of the Midlands Rail Hub.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Chancellor’s commitment to progress Midlands Rail Hub West in the 2025 Spending Review follows the release of £123 million last year to design the first phase, which could be delivered by the early 2030s.
Asked by: Laurence Turner (Labour - Birmingham Northfield)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to paragraph 5.83 of the Spending Review 2025, published on 11 June 2025, how much funding has been allocated to progress the next stage of Midlands Rail Hub West.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Chancellor confirmed Midlands Rail Hub is a priority for the Government and £123m has been committed for the next phase of the Programme.
Asked by: Wendy Morton (Conservative - Aldridge-Brownhills)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what funding she has allocated to the completion of the Midlands Rail Hub.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Chancellor’s commitment to progress Midlands Rail Hub West in the 2025 Spending Review follows the release of £123 million last year to design the first phase, which could be delivered by the early 2030s.
Asked by: Wendy Morton (Conservative - Aldridge-Brownhills)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the Midlands Rail Hub on (a) journey times, (b) capacity, (c) frequency of services and (d) reliability of services for West Midlands passengers.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Midlands Rail Hub is designed to kickstart economic growth and breakdown barriers to opportunity. It could speed up journey times, provide capacity for hundreds of additional trains into central Birmingham, improve frequency by 50-100% on many corridors, and reliability on trains through New Street, improving journeys across the Midlands and beyond. We are assessing all our investment plans as part of the ongoing Spending Review.
Asked by: Andrew Mitchell (Conservative - Sutton Coldfield)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she plans to take to improve rail services in the West Midlands.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
West Midlands Trains has recently introduced two brand new fleets of high capacity trains in the West Midlands area, with a third new fleet on its West Coast routes starting service shortly. Five new stations are also under construction. Meanwhile, CrossCountry started operating a bigger fleet last weekend, significantly boosting capacity on its network, and all its trains will be fully refurbished in the next three years. A Pay-As-You-Go scheme is being implemented to help deliver seamless journey integration. Longer term, work continues on developing the Midlands Rail Hub scheme.
Asked by: Natalie Fleet (Labour - Bolsover)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking to ensure that all communities in (a) rural and (b) semi-rural areas have access to public transport.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The government knows that integrated public transport is vital to keeping communities connected. We also know that in rural and semi-rural areas, bus services can be a lifeline for many and can be the only means of accessing services, including other modes of transportation such as rail links.
The government introduced the Bus Services (No.2) Bill on 17 December to put the power over local bus services back into the hands of local leaders. In addition, the government has confirmed £955 million for the 2025 to 2026 financial year to support and improve bus services in England outside London. East Midlands Combined County Authority has been allocated £40.6 million of this funding, helping to improve bus services across the area.
Rail services, including those in rural and semi-rural areas, are supported by requirements on train operators to plan services and design timetables to meet both current and future passenger demand, while also ensuring value for money for the taxpayer. The government commitment to public ownership through Great British Railways will also help to deliver a unified system that focuses on reliable, affordable, high-quality, and efficient transport services, whilst also ensuring safety and accessibility. Under public ownership, passenger services can be operated in the interests of passengers, not shareholders.
Asked by: Paul Kohler (Liberal Democrat - Wimbledon)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the potential revenue from introducing a fuel tax on domestic aviation to encourage rail travel.
Answered by James Murray - Chief Secretary to the Treasury
Air Passenger Duty (APD) applies to airlines and is the principal tax on the aviation sector, since tickets are VAT free and aviation fuel incurs no duty. APD varies by distance and class of travel and is expected to raise £4.7 billion in 2025-26.
The domestic band applies to all flights between airports in England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland and is currently set at £7 for economy passengers until 31 March 2026.
The Government provides significant financial support for rail travel to enable its operation and make it an attractive option for passengers, including supporting infrastructure upgrades.
Recent examples include investment in the rollout of Pay As You Go fare structures in the West Midlands and Greater Manchester, and the delivery of the Northumberland Line in the North East. This sits alongside the biggest overhaul of the railways in a generation through the set-up of Great British Railways, which will strip out duplication and ensure taxpayers get better value for money.