Asked by: Lord Berkeley (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what is (1) the route of the tunnels between Old Oak Common and Euston, and (2) the location of their Euston end portals; and how these features interact with any designs for the HS2 station at Euston.
Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
From Old Oak Common station, the twin bore Euston tunnels will head north-east under Kensal Green Cemetery before broadly following the line of the Network Rail West Coast Main Line into Euston. The alignment curves in a southerly direction under Primrose Hill and the bored tunnels will end beneath the junction of Parkway and Gloucester Avenue.
From this point the twin bore tunnels will transition into a group of structures termed the Euston approaches, rather than interfacing directly with the station at Euston. The Euston approaches include a set of sprayed concrete lined (SCL) tunnels that connect to the twin bored tunnels. The Euston approaches will broadly cover the area between London Zoo car park and Hampstead Road.
The immediate structure that is to interface with Euston station is a retained cutting, which extends for circa 600m from a northerly direction to the entrance of Euston station. This will enable the HS2 lines to fan out into the necessary configuration for the station and its platforms.
Asked by: Lisa Smart (Liberal Democrat - Hazel Grove)
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 capacity of the West Coast Main Line at Stockport; and what steps she is taking to ensure that local rail services are not adversely impacted by the introduction of HS2-compatible trains on that line.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
We recognise there are capacity constraints on the West Coast Mainline at Stockport. The Rail Minister has asked officials to work with Network Rail and the wider industry to explore options to address this and meet future demand.
Asked by: Lisa Smart (Liberal Democrat - Hazel Grove)
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 introduction of non-tilting HS2-compatible trains on West Coast Main Line capacity.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
We anticipate the use of non-tilting trains to have no impact on the capacity of the West Coast Mainline. We are currently developing the timetable for when HS2 opens and decisions will made closer to the start of services and will be subject to consultation.
Asked by: Richard Fuller (Conservative - North Bedfordshire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what her planned timetable is for the construction of a railway station at Tempsford.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
East West Rail Company has set out details of its proposals for a new station at Tempsford as part of East West Rail in its autumn announcement in November 2025. The Government and East West Rail Company have committed to bring forward the delivery of a new station at Tempsford to introduce services on the East Coast Main Line to the area ahead of the full East West Rail scheme opening and design work is progressing on this.
Asked by: Blake Stephenson (Conservative - Mid Bedfordshire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment she has made of the adequacy of capacity on the East Coast Mainline in the context of the Tempsford New Town.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Government has committed to bring forward the delivery of a new station at Tempsford to introduce services on the East Coast Main line (ECML) to the area as part of the East West Rail (EWR) project and ahead of the full EWR scheme opening. Network Rail will consider the impact of any new station at Tempsford as part of business case development for any future ECML infrastructure investment, including journey time and capacity implications for ECML services.
Asked by: Lord Bradshaw (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government, in the light of the upcoming expiration in February 2026 of the compulsory purchase powers for phase 2a of HS2 to Crewe, what alternative plans they have to relieve congestion on the west coast main line north of Birmingham.
Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
Whilst we will not reverse the previous government’s decision to cancel Phase 2, we recognise concerns about rail capacity and connectivity between Birmingham and Manchester. We are reviewing our plans for future connectivity in the Midlands and the North, and we hope to say more soon, including our plans for land and property between Birmingham and Crewe.
Asked by: Jim McMahon (Labour (Co-op) - Oldham West, Chadderton and Royton)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of future road and rail freight capacity in the North of England following the cancellation of HS2.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Following the previous government’s cancellation of Phase 2, HS2 is now being delivered between Euston in central London and the West Midlands. The dedicated HS2 infrastructure from London to Birmingham and the West Midlands will release capacity on the West Coast Main Line which can be used to support additional rail freight services. The use of the released capacity is not yet developed, and decisions will be made closer to the opening of HS2 and be subject to consultation.
We recognise concerns about rail capacity and connectivity between Birmingham and Manchester and we are reviewing our plans for future connectivity in the Midlands and the North.
The government is committed to supporting rail freight growth with the Rail Freight growth target to increase it by 75% by 2050.
Asked by: Wendy Morton (Conservative - Aldridge-Brownhills)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the Midlands Rail Hub on (a) capacity on the West Coast Main Line and (b) passenger services into central Birmingham; and what discussions she has had with the West Midlands Combined Authority on the use of devolved transport funding to develop those proposals.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Midlands Rail Hub supports economic and housing growth in the region by creating capacity for more trains in central Birmingham. The additional capacity will support improved reliability of services running through New Street station, including trains that use the West Coast Main Line and will also mean more services from Worcester, South Wales and the South West.
The West Midlands Combined Authority and West Midlands Rail Executive are closely involved in the development, design and delivery of Midlands Rail Hub.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 27 October 2025 to Question 84309 on High Speed 2, what her Department’s latest estimate is of (a) the additional cost arising from the four-year deferral of works between Delta Junction and Handsacre Junction, (b) the revised total cost of the HS2 programme and (c) the expected date for completion of the final connection between High Speed 2 and the West Coast Main Line.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The previous Government paused works between Delta Junction and Handsacre Junction in March 2023. HS2 Ltd provided an estimate at the time in 2023 that the cost of demobilisation of these works was c.£35m (2019 prices). Further deferral will not incur demobilisation costs as the work has already been demobilised.
Any additional costs are being considered as part of Mark Wild’s comprehensive review of HS2. As part of his reset work, he will advise on a revised cost estimate and schedule for HS2, including the scope between Delta Junction and Handsacre Junction.
Asked by: Rosena Allin-Khan (Labour - Tooting)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the closure of the West Coast Main Line in December 2025 and January 2026 on commuters.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Network Rail has been working closely with operators to try and keep passengers on trains for as much of their journey as possible during this period of essential works. The Settle to Carlisle line will be used as a diversionary route for long-distance services for the first time in a decade. Rail replacement buses will also be available to assist passengers to continue their journeys onwards.