Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to honour their September 2024 commitment to bring Hull into Northern Powerhouse Rail, including the electrification and improvement of the line between Hull, Leeds and Sheffield, following the exclusion of Hull from the Northern Powerhouse Rail plans announced in January.

Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)

As set out in the January 2026 Northern Growth Strategy, the Government is committed to ensuring Northern Powerhouse Rail (NPR) services reach Hull. The TransPennine Route Upgrade programme is procuring 29 new battery-electric trains for the TransPennine network, enabling electric train services to operate to Hull, and improved connectivity to Leeds, Manchester and beyond. The Department will work with Network Rail to ensure that the infrastructure required to support battery-electric operation is also capable of supporting future NPR bi-mode trains serving Hull. The case for other enhancements – such as connections to Sheffield - will still be considered, irrespective of NPR, in future years.