Asked by: Afzal Khan (Labour - Manchester, Gorton)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the oral contribution of the Minister of State, Department for Transport during the oral question on Access for All of 8 June 2023, Official Report, column 856, what his planned timetable is for making a decision on the projects receiving funding from the Access for All programme.
Answered by Huw Merriman - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
As part of our recent Network North announcement, the Government confirmed £350m will be made available to improve the accessibility of train stations across Britain. We are assessing over 300 nominations for funding under the Access for All programme. At stations awarded funding this will create an obstacle free, accessible route from the station entrance to all platforms. Successful nominations will be announced in due course.
Asked by: Stephen Morgan (Labour - Portsmouth South)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans he has to help tackle congestion on the West Coast Main Line.
Answered by Huw Merriman - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
HS2 Phase 1 will be delivered between Euston and the West Midlands with a branch to Handsacre, near Lichfield, providing a significant increase in capacity across the busiest section of the West Coast Main Line. In addition, work is underway to consider potential upgrades to Handsacre junction and the broader West Coast Main Line to support the introduction of HS2 services, and improve journeys between London, the West Midlands, the North-West, Scotland and other locations. An upgrade of Handsacre Junction will allow more trains to reach key destinations north of Birmingham. It will have a transformative effect on rail capacity: nearly doubling capacity up to 250,000 seats per day across the primary long-distance operator on the West Coast Main Line and Phase 1 - triple that of the operator’s current estimated average daily demand.
Asked by: Stephen Morgan (Labour - Portsmouth South)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate he has made of the financial impact of cancelling HS2 Phase 2 on HS2 Phase 1.
Answered by Huw Merriman - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
The Department continues to work with HS2 Ltd and its supply chain to assess the implications of the cancellation of HS2 Phase 2 on the rest of the scheme. As set out in the Network North announcement, the decision to discontinue HS2 beyond Birmingham will free up £36 billion in savings. This is money that the Government plans to reinvest, in full, into projects which will benefit towns, cities and rural areas across the country.
Asked by: Stephen Morgan (Labour - Portsmouth South)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he has had recent discussions with Cheshire East Council on the potential merits of compensation for HS2-related costs.
Answered by Huw Merriman - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
In November last year, I met with Cheshire East Council and discussed the implications of Network North for Crewe. My Department and the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities continue to work closely with Cheshire East Council on how the Council can benefit from the funding that they already invested in regeneration plans for Crewe, and from various Network North funding streams. In particular, Cheshire East will receive a funding boost of more than £2.2 million for bus services in the area, and an extension of the £2 bus fare cap to the end of 2024; it will also receive a £110m uplift over 11 years for local road maintenance, and is set to receive significant additional support from a new £4.7bn ‘Local Integrated Transport Settlements’ fund to transform local transport across the North and Midlands.
Asked by: Richard Foord (Liberal Democrat - Tiverton and Honiton)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to support (a) rural and (b) cross-county border bus services.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Since March 2020, the Government has announced over £4.5 billion to support and improve bus services. This includes £2 billion in emergency and recovery funding to maintain services during the pandemic; over £1 billion allocated in 2022 to help local transport authorities (LTAs) deliver their Bus Service Improvement Plans; a further £1 billion redirected from HS2 to improve bus services in the North and the Midlands as part of Network North; £300 million in ongoing funding to support and improve services until April 2025; and nearly £600 million to cap single bus fares at £2 from 1 January 2023 until the end of 2024.
The Government also makes over £200 million available directly to bus operators every year through the Bus Service Operators Grant (BSOG) to keep fares down and help them maintain an extensive network. LTAs in England outside of London also receive £42 million annually through the BSOG for the purpose of subsidising socially necessary services that would otherwise be commercially unviable, helping to support rural routes.
The Government believes LTAs, working with operators, are best placed to determine the shape and structure of local bus services. The funding we are providing to the sector can be used to support and improve services across England outside London, including those running in rural areas or those that cross county borders.
In addition, our £20 million Rural Mobility Fund in England is supporting 16 innovative, demand-led minibus trials in rural and suburban areas across 16 local authorities in England. These pilots are exploring whether Demand Responsive Transport can serve these communities more effectively than traditional public transport solutions alone.
Asked by: Stephen Morgan (Labour - Portsmouth South)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when he plans to update his Department's publication entitled Rail network enhancements pipeline.
Answered by Huw Merriman - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
The Prime Minister’s Network North announcement detailed an unprecedented number of commitments to rail enhancements across the country, using funding redirected from Phase 2 of HS2.
We are working with our Arms Length Bodies and other delivery partners to plan the delivery schedule for these schemes and the necessary adjustments to existing schemes within the rail network enhancements portfolio.
Asked by: Chi Onwurah (Labour - Newcastle upon Tyne Central)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he is taking steps to help increase access to public transport for people who (a) unemployed, (b) have a low household income and (c) cannot drive.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The government has taken many steps to ensure that public transport is affordable for people across the country. These include the recent announcement of a further £1 billion, redirected from HS2 by reason of the Prime Minister’s Network North announcement, to deliver better bus services in the North and the Midlands. This funding will make services more frequent, more reliable, cheaper, and easier to use. This is part of over £4.5 billion announced by the government to support and improve bus services since 2020.
In addition, in January 2023 the Department introduced the £2 cap on single bus fares in England outside of London, since extended until the end of 2024, taking total government funding to deliver the cap to nearly £600 million.
Asked by: Louise Haigh (Labour - Sheffield, Heeley)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate he has made of the (a) final cost and (b) completion date of the proposed Euston Quarter development.
Answered by Huw Merriman - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
Following the Network North announcement on 4 October 2023, we are upping the ambition of the Euston redevelopment, to create a transformed ‘Euston Quarter’. We are going to deliver a station that can be open and running trains as soon as possible while radically reducing its costs, enabling £6.5bn of savings to be spent on transport projects across the country. We will deliver a 6-platform station which can accommodate the trains we will run to Birmingham and onwards and which best supports regeneration of the local area. We will update Parliament on the progress on developing the proposal for the Euston Quarter, including providing updated schedule and costs estimates, in due course.
Asked by: Jessica Morden (Labour - Newport East)
Question to the Wales Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, whether he has had recent discussions with (a) the Secretary of State for Transport and (b) Network Rail on the potential impact of Control Period 7 funding on (i) rail services and (ii) the condition of rail infrastructure in Wales.
Answered by David T C Davies - Secretary of State for Wales
My officials and I have regular discussions with counterparts in the Department for Transport and Network Rail on a wide range of transport matters in Wales.
Between 2024 and 2029, the UK Government will be providing a record £44.1 billion settlement for Network Rail in Control Period 7 across England and Wales. This £44.1 billion settlement is roughly a 4% increase in real terms when compared to the previous control period.
The UK Government is committed to improving rail infrastructure in Wales and has allocated £1 billion to electrify the North Wales Mainline, delivered the £76 million electrification of the Severn Tunnel, contributed £144 million to the upgrade of the Core Valley Lines and provided £77.7 million for improvements to Cardiff Central Station.
Asked by: Jessica Morden (Labour - Newport East)
Question to the Wales Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, whether he has had recent discussions with (a) the Secretary of State for Transport, (b) Network Rail and (c) the Welsh government on the electrification of the North Wales Main Line.
Answered by David T C Davies - Secretary of State for Wales
My officials and I have regular discussions with counterparts in the Department for Transport, Network Rail and the Welsh Government on a wide range of transport matters across Wales.
The UK Government is committed to providing £1 billion to fund the electrification of the North Wales Main Line. This investment will have a transformative impact for the many residents, commuters and tourists who use the North Wales Main Line, driving economic growth across the region.
The Department for Transport is working closely with Network Rail and industry partners to develop and deliver on the Government priorities outlined in the Prime Minister’s Network North announcement, including electrification of the North Wales Main Line. The Government is currently considering next steps, including delivery timelines, and will share further information when this work is complete. All schemes will be subject to the development and approval of business cases and will undergo all formal governance, in line with relevant fiscal and legal duties.
The UK Government is already providing significant investment to improve rail infrastructure and travel in Wales, including £144 million for the Core Valley Lines, delivering the £76 million electrification of the Severn Tunnel and £77.7 million for improvements to Cardiff Central Station.