Asked by: Lord Berkeley (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what the exact route of the Northern Powerhouse Rail project is; and which cities it will run between.
Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
Northern Powerhouse Rail will deliver turn-up-and-go railway services between Liverpool, Manchester, Leeds, Bradford, Sheffield and York, with regular services to Newcastle, Hull and Chester for North Wales. The first phase of work East of the Pennines will largely be upgrades to existing lines, including electrification. The government is taking forward work on the High Speed Rail (Crewe-Manchester) Bill to seek powers for the section of route into Manchester via Manchester Airport. Options for further sections of new route, including connections to Liverpool, will be assessed with local leaders in the coming months, in advance of any public consultation.
Asked by: Lord Berkeley (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what the expected date is for the start of the development of the first phase of the Northern Powerhouse Rail project; and when they expect the necessary planning and permissions to allow construction to begin will be completed.
Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
Government has allocated £1.1bn funding for Northern Powerhouse Rail in this Parliament to undertake development and consenting work. The first phase, focusing on electrification and upgrades East of the Pennines, is expected to be delivered during the 2030s.
Asked by: Lord Berkeley (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the (1) development, and (2) construction, cost of the Northern Powerhouse Rail project; and what is the expected year of completion of that project.
Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
The Government will provide up to £45 billion of funding to deliver Northern Powerhouse Rail turn-up-and-go railway services between Liverpool, Manchester, Leeds, Bradford, Sheffield and York.
This £45 billion does not constitute a formal cost estimate for the programme but is a funding cap that both demonstrates our commitment and ambition, whilst ensuring NPR remains an affordable and efficient programme. Three phases of delivery will see major construction work in the 2030s, continuing through to the 2040s.
Asked by: Lord Berkeley (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government to what extent, if at all, HS2 Ltd will be involved in any part of the Northern Powerhouse Rail project.
Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
No decisions have been taken on the long-term delivery strategy for the programme at this stage. However, HS2 Ltd continue to be involved in the development work covered by the High Speed Rail (Crewe to Manchester) Bill.
Asked by: Lord Berkeley (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what arrangements will be made to provide alternative rail services during the Northern Powerhouse Rail project construction period.
Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
The Government will seek to minimise impacts for passengers during major construction work. No decisions have been taken at this stage of the programme. As with the Transpennine Route Upgrade, we would expect to adopt a collaborative approach between train operators to keep services running for the public during major works.
Asked by: Lord Berkeley (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many fuel recovery claims are made each year by operators of petrol stations in England, where a motorist has not paid for fuel.
Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
Neither the Department for Transport nor the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency hold information about how many fuel recovery claims are made each year by operators of petrol stations in England, where a motorist has not paid for fuel.
Asked by: Lord Berkeley (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what are the comparative capital costs of including discontinuous and full electrification on East West Rail.
Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
In its autumn announcement, EWR Co set out proposals for the discontinuous (partial) electrification of the line. Discontinuous electrification can enable net zero services through the use of hybrid battery-electric trains for reduced upfront capital costs compared to full route electrification. Exact costs will depend on the location and extent of electrification, and updated proposals will be provided at the next consultation on EWR later this year.
Asked by: Lord Berkeley (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill on 22 September (HL10279), when the data collection stage of the pavement parking research will (1) begin, and (2) conclude.
Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
The data collection stage of the pavement parking research is currently being specified as part of the preparatory work that is already underway and is being designed alongside policy development. We are considering when to launch the fieldwork aspect of the research, in tandem with responding to the consultation on pavement parking.
Asked by: Lord Berkeley (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what is the status of the proposed public service obligation grant for a Newquay to London air service, which companies have submitted bids, and when they expect a decision to award.
Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
Cornwall Council are running a tender exercise for an operator for the Public Service Obligation air service between Newquay and London to commence on 1st November 2025. The Department has no role in the assessment of bids received, nor on timescales for making the decision to award the contract.
When a decision has been made by Cornwall Council, it will submit a funding request to the Department which will then assess its value for money before deciding whether to provide funding for the air service.
Asked by: Lord Berkeley (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the reported £243 million underspend by Network Rail as reported by the Office of Rail and Road, and what plans they have to allow Network Rail to spend some of this underspend in investment in new or upgraded rail infrastructure.
Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
The Office of Rail and Road (ORR) reported in its Annual Efficiency and Finance report that Network Rail financially underperformed by £243 million during 2024/25. This represented an increase in costs driven largely by inflationary pressure, higher maintenance and poor train performance. There are arrangements in place to allow Network Rail to manage overspends and underspends across its five-year funding periods. Network Rail is working to improve its financial performance in the current financial year.