Asked by: Lord Berkeley (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the answer by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill on 31 October (HL Deb col 1217), whether they will place in the Library of the House a copy of any information or advice received from the Health and Safety Executive.
Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
HSE’s advice on the risks associated with the MV Ruby contained information relevant to national security. It is currently preparing a redacted version of the advice. As soon as it is available I will ensure a copy is placed in the Library of the House.
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 18 December (HL3382), whether they will publish a cost estimate for the construction of HS2 tunnels from Old Oak Common to Euston before construction work starts; and before its destination and design is published and approved, as required by government procurement rules.
Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
The Euston tunnels' scope is being delivered as part of the SCS Main Works Civils contract, and there are no plans for a new procurement process for this work. Due to commercial sensitivities, the department is unable to provide a specific cost breakdown for the Euston tunnels.
Previously published cost ranges for HS2 Phase One included the costs associated with the Euston tunnels. The Department is currently working with HS2 Ltd to review the Estimate at Completion (EAC) for HS2 Phase One. The results of this review, which include considerations of the Euston tunnels, will report to Parliament in due course.
Asked by: Lord Berkeley (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what is the latest estimated cost of the construction of the HS2 tunnels from Old Oak Common to Euston.
Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
The Government has confirmed its committed to delivering HS2 between Birmingham and Euston at the recent budget. The scope of Phase 1 is being reviewed to ensure the HS2 scheme is delivered at the lowest reasonable cost, including the revised approach to Euston. Once this work has been done, we will publish to Parliament a revised cost range for the revised HS2 scheme including the cost of the tunnels from Old Oak Common to Euston.
Asked by: Lord Berkeley (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what is the latest design for the route of the tunnels from Old Oak Common to Euston, and whether they will place in the Library of the House plans showing that route, alignment and gradients.
Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
The route and alignment of the HS2 tunnels from Old Oak Common to Euston are bound by the High Speed Rail (London – West Midlands) Act 2017. HS2 Ltd is responsible for designing and constructing the tunnels and grade separation and is continuing to progress with the current design ensuring compliance with all requisite technical, safety, and environmental standards. The design has been refined to minimise ground movement, and settlement mitigation measures have been developed to ensure compatibility with the operation of the existing railway.
The alignment remains materially unchanged and is publicly available on the HS2 website.
The alignment immediately approaching and within Euston Station will be subject to the finalisation of the station.
Asked by: Lord Berkeley (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what is the latest cost-benefit calculation for the construction of the four fast-line platforms on the Great Western Main Line at Old Oak Common.
Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
Old Oak Common station design has been reviewed, and it was concluded that considering programme, cost, and railway impacts as well as required operational flexibility, the best and only viable option is to continue with the existing design. The 8 platforms within the conventional station include the four fast line platforms, principally to be used for the Great Western Railway, and four relief line platforms principally used for Elizabeth Line passengers. Detailed modelling and analysis are ongoing to determine the optimum service pattern under different scenarios, and to inform decisions on calling patterns and frequencies at Old Oak Common.
Asked by: Lord Berkeley (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what are the expected opening dates for passengers of (1) the Euston HS2 station, (2) the Old Oak Common HS2 station, and (3) the Old Oak Common mainline station.
Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
It has been the plan for several years to open Euston after the Old Oak Common to Curzon Street section. A new delivery-into-service date range for Euston will be confirmed once we have further progressed work on the affordability of the station design
Old Oak Common is estimated to be operational between 2029-2033. The large Christmas possessions that enable services to run on the new track layout, through Old Oak Common station, are currently being replanned and further information will be available from Spring 2025.
Asked by: Lord Berkeley (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what is the latest estimated cost of the construction of the Old Oak Common mainline station.
Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
The scope of Phase 1 is being reviewed to make sure the HS2 scheme is delivered at the lowest reasonable cost, including the revised approach to Euston. Once this work has been done, we will publish to Parliament a revised cost range for the revised HS2 scheme.
Within the Target Cost for Phase One, the budget allocated by HS2 Ltd for Old Oak Common station, including contingency for risk, is £1.67bn (2019 prices). As Old Oak Common is being designed and delivered as a single, integrated station this budget includes the costs for delivering both the HS2 and conventional rail elements.
Asked by: Lord Berkeley (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many trains per hour at Euston are planned to be HS2 trains in future, and how many station platforms are they expected to occupy.
Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
The New HS2 station will consist of 6 platforms, which can support up to 10 HS2 trains per hour. No decisions have been made on the train services that will run when HS2 opens, and this will be subject to future consultation.
Asked by: Lord Berkeley (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what consideration they have given to increasing the penalties for motorists who watch films or make video calls whilst driving.
Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
This Government takes road safety seriously, and we are committed to reducing the numbers of those killed and injured on our roads. We are currently considering policy options in this area.
Since the general election, the Department has also begun work on a new Road Safety Strategy, the first in over a decade. The Department will share more details in due course.
Asked by: Lord Berkeley (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government who is the Chair of the Euston Partnership; who are the members of the Board; when it last met; and whether it publishes its minutes of meetings.
Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
The interim chair of the Euston Partnership Board is John Reed, Managing Director of the Euston Partnership. A new chair will be announced in due course.
Details of the Board membership are published in the minutes from each meeting. The Euston Partnership Board last met on 14th November 2024.