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 level of support among aviation and emergency service stakeholders for restoring UK access to the European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service Safety-of-Life service.
Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
The Department is undertaking a comprehensive review of the transport case and the practicalities of rejoining the European Geostationary Navigation Overlay System (EGNOS), with the aim of determining how to best take this policy forward by the end of the year.
This review includes extensive engagement with relevant stakeholders within the transport industry.
Asked by: Lord Berkeley (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what alternatives they evaluated when seeking to reduce the cost of the HS2 connection between Old Oak Common and Euston.
Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
No other alternatives to reduce the cost of the connection between Old Oak Common and Euston were identified at the time of the Government's decision to proceed with the Euston tunnel. The existing tunnelling plans are the most cost-effective approach, as Old Oak Common station's construction has been set up for this purpose.
If this decision had not been made at this time, there would have been likely cost and schedule impacts to the delivery of Old Oak Common station, and potentially to the wider HS2 programme.
Asked by: Lord Berkeley (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government which elements of the Euston Master Plan Development will be funded by (1) the private sector, and (2) the public sector; and which department will administer any public funding.
Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
The Euston Development Masterplan is a joint Department for Transport and Network Rail project, with delivery contracted to a joint venture between Lendlease and The Crown Estate.
Public funding, administered by the Department for Transport, will support enabling works and contribute towards the costs of developing the masterplan. The majority of the project will be funded by the private sector, with the Department for Transport and Network Rail sharing in the value generated from development.
Asked by: Lord Berkeley (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government how the Euston Development Company is funded; and how much, if any, of its funding will come from the public sector.
Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
In April, the Euston Delivery Company (EDC) was established as the single directing mind for the Euston programme. Currently, the EDC team is operating as a business unit within the Department for Transport, with its activities funded via existing departmental arrangements. Further details on its future funding arrangements will be confirmed as the company is formally established as a public body, which is expected to take place in the Autumn.
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 (1) the projected outstanding cost of HS2 as of 1 April 2026, and (2) the proportion of which allocated to the development of Euston station and the Euston approaches.
Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
The Government announced in May 2026, the expected cost of delivering HS2 is now in the range of £87.7 - 102.7 billion. This is expressed in a mixed price base, including the cash outturn of works to date and the costs of future work excluding inflation.
This is an initial assessment that will mature further as the work is refined into a full programme baseline. Drawing on lessons learned from previous experience, the Department is taking the time to complete the necessary work to establish a robust baseline before seeking to set budgets for Euston.
Asked by: Lord Berkeley (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many HS2 200m train sets are now on order; and whether the train set capital expenditure is included in the projected HS2 cost or is a leasing cost to the chosen operator.
Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
There are 54 x 200m trains on order with the Hitachi-Alstom Joint Venture. The capital expenditure for purchasing these trains is included in the published HS2 cost ranges.
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 (HL425), what is the estimated cost of full electrification of the East West Rail route compared to the lower capital cost of discontinuous electrification.
Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
The costs of electrifying the full East West Rail route versus partial (discontinuous) electrification will depend on a number of factors including the final scope for the railway’s design and location of overhead line equipment. This is yet to be finalised and will be developed in light of feedback received in the East West Rail Company’s latest public consultation, which closed on 9 June this year.
Asked by: Lord Berkeley (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to close the Pullman service on long-distance Great Western Railway trains.
Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
There are currently no plans to close the Pullman dining service on Great Western Railway’s long-distance services. Department for Transport officials continue to engage closely with the operator to ensure that passenger expectations are met, including through the provision of high-quality catering options.
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 putting HS2 Limited into administration and seeking alternative bids for the construction of HS2 from Birmingham to Manchester.
Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
The Government has tasked the new leadership of HS2 Ltd with undertaking a comprehensive reset to ensure the project is delivered in a controlled way and at the lowest reasonable cost. Bringing in alternative delivery arrangements at this stage in the project would add further delay and cost.
It is the Government's long-term aim to see a full new railway between Birmingham to Manchester. This will not be a revival of HS2 and what will be delivered will be considered by a feasibility study working with local partners.
Asked by: Lord Berkeley (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the remarks by the Secretary of State for Transport on 19 May that there has been an “obscene increase in time and costs” associated with the construction of HS2 (HC Deb, col 416), why they are continuing with the construction of HS2; what action they are taking, if any, against those responsible for the increase in time and cost; whether they continue to use the same supply chain, contractors, and consultants; and what action they have taken to explore alternative supply chains, contractors, and consultants.
Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
The Secretary of State for Transport provided an update to the House via her latest Parliamentary report on HS2 on 19 May, covering the progress achieved in resetting the programme in recent months. This includes the government's rationale for continuing with the construction of the programme, discussions with main suppliers to manage contracts in taxpayers' interests, and steps taken to strengthen commercial controls and improve delivery performance. This government put HS2 Ltd under new management, which has tightened spending controls with new specialist roles scrutinizing every payment to contractors and suppliers, and is reviewing contracts to ensure the right incentives are in place to drive delivery.