Asked by: Lord Patten (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Sugg on 18 September (HL10098), what estimate they have made of the contribution of the East West Rail programme to annual regional economic growth.
Answered by Baroness Sugg
The East West Rail Company are assessing the contribution of the East West Rail programme to both regional and national economic growth. This is yet to be quantified and the work is ongoing.
Asked by: Lord Patten (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the social and economic benefits to the Cambridge, Milton Keynes and Oxford corridor of improved transport links between them.
Answered by Baroness Sugg
In 2017 the Government backed the National Infrastructure Commission’s vision for significant economic growth across the Oxford-Cambridge corridor, supported by up to 1 million new homes by 2050. The Government recognises improved transport links are critical to this, and is committed to improving both the road and rail infrastructure in the area.
Asked by: Lord Patten (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their assessment of the railway network between Cambridge, Milton Keynes and Oxford.
Answered by Baroness Sugg
The East West Rail programme will significantly improve rail connectivity in the Cambridge, Milton Keynes and Oxford corridor whilst unlocking substantial housing potential and economic growth. Government is committed to delivering the programme by the mid 2020’s.
Asked by: Lord Patten (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the progress in developing plans for the proposed south Cambridge railway station; and on what date will it be opened.
Answered by Baroness Sugg
The Department for Transport is working with the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority, Greater Cambridge Partnership and AstraZeneca to develop proposals for a new station and associated rail infrastructure at Cambridge South, to serve the Cambridge Biomedical Campus.
The development stage of the scheme will take around two years. Subject to the business case being satisfactory, gaining of planning powers, and affordability to funders, the station and associated rail infrastructure would be expected to be complete in the mid 2020s.
Asked by: Lord Patten (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the regional economic benefits of the opening of the proposed south Cambridge railway station.
Answered by Baroness Sugg
The Department for Transport considered the Strategic Outline Business Case (SOBC) for the proposed new station and associated infrastructure at Cambridge South in late 2017. The SOBC included an estimate of national and regional benefits associated with the scheme totalling £46.8m in present value terms (2010 prices, 60 year appraisal period). Further work is underway to determine the feasibility of the scheme, in conjunction with local funding partners.
Asked by: Lord Patten (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their assessment of the road network between Cambridge, Milton Keynes and Oxford.
Answered by Baroness Sugg
Assessment of road connections between Oxford and Cambridge is contained within the published Oxford to Cambridge Expressway Stage 3 Report.
Accordingly, the Government has committed to improving the road links within this corridor, and to filling the missing link in the Strategic Road Network between Oxford and Cambridge.
It has announced the central corridor as the preferred choice. The Department is now working out detailed route options within the corridor, and is currently on track to have it open to traffic by 2030 as planned.
Asked by: Lord Patten (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of the stretches of single line track on the Waterloo–Exeter mainline on train punctuality.
Answered by Baroness Sugg
The Secretary of State for Transport has made no recent assessment of the impact of the stretches of single line track on the Waterloo – Exeter mainline on train punctuality. Network Rail’s Wessex Route Study concluded that the forecast levels of growth between Salisbury and Exeter did not justify the need for additional sections of double track.
Asked by: Lord Patten (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of the stretches of single track railway on the Waterloo–Exeter mainline on the economy of south-western England.
Answered by Baroness Sugg
The Secretary of State for Transport has made no recent assessment of the impact of the stretches of single line track on the Waterloo – Exeter mainline on the economy of South-Western England. Network Rail’s Wessex Route Study concluded that the forecast levels of growth between Salisbury and Exeter did not justify the need for additional sections of double track.
Asked by: Lord Patten (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Callanan on 28 June (HL9), whether the programme of refurbishment of trains between Waterloo and Exeter will include works on the air conditioning systems of the rolling stock to avoid failure through overheating during periods of temperatures above 28⁰C.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
This is a matter for the Train Operating Company.
Asked by: Lord Patten (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Callanan on 28 June (HL8), on what basis Network Rail has decided that the scheme to double the track between Tisbury and Wilton Junction is not a priority.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Network Rail’s Wessex Route Study, published in August 2015, concluded that the forecast levels of growth between Salisbury and Exeter did not justify the need for addition sections of double track along the route in the period up to 2024.