Asked by: Lord Scriven (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what (1) economic, and (2) social, impact assessment they made in the decision to pause the next phase of electrification of the Midland Mainline.
Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
The electrification of the Midland Main Line that is complete will enable bi-mode intercity trains to operate in electric traction between St Pancras and Wigston. These new trains will have more seats and will provide a step change in passenger experience.
Continuing electrification to Nottingham and Sheffield was considered in the Spending Review, which prioritised investment across all government spending, taking account of business cases and affordability, including economic and social impacts.
The next phase of electrification has been paused as it is lower value for money, partly due to rising costs and partly as a consequence of having already delivered substantial electrification, but we will continue to keep it under review as part of our longer-term pipeline of schemes.
Asked by: Lord Scriven (Liberal Democrat - 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 29 July 2024 (HL238), what assessment they have made of whether East Midlands Railway is still running trains with faulty air conditioning, resulting in staff and passengers travelling in high temperatures.
Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
The Department is aware of occasions where the air conditioning has failed within one of the carriages on an East Midlands Railway (EMR) train whilst in service. When this occurs the train conductor helps passengers find alternative seats in a cooler carriage and offers water to those who decide to remain in the affected carriage. Excessive temperature is one factor that is measured through the Service Quality Regime to ensure timely rectification of a fault by train operators.
Asked by: Lord Scriven (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of impact of the East Midlands Railways delaying the introduction of Class 810 Aurora trains and potentially returning some of Class 222 trains to leasing company on (1) passenger capacity on the Midland Main Line, and (2) the train times of (a) the operators to whom the Class 222 trains are expected to be leased, and (b) the Midland Main Line.
Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
In collaboration with industry partners, East Midlands Railway are considering all factors, including minimising the impacts on passengers, in relation to their fleet transition. There has been no assessment by the Department of the train times to whom the Class 222s are expected to be leased.
Asked by: Lord Scriven (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government when East Midlands Railway's fleet of Class 810 Aurora trains which were meant to enter service in May will now be introduced into passenger service.
Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
The Class 810 ‘Aurora’ trains are currently undergoing testing by Hitachi, and we expect the first units to be delivered to East Midlands Railway in the Autumn, with a phased roll-out during 2026.
Asked by: Lord Scriven (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Hanson of Flint on 4 March (HL5190), whether any official or minister of the Department for Transport, acting as part of the Manchester Task Force, formally agreed to the decisions that caused the direct train service between Sheffield and Manchester Airport to be withdrawn from service.
Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
The Manchester Task Force was made up of Department for Transport (DfT) officials and representatives from Network Rail, train operators, Rail North Partnership (RNP), Transport for the North (TfN) and Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM). The task force also had the benefit from expert industry analysis and insight.
After gathering evidence, developing options and consulting with stakeholders and passengers, it identified a range of short and long-term actions to improve the performance of the railway in Manchester and thereby across the North and to support future growth in passengers.
The Task Force formulated a series of recommendations with input from DfT officials and officers from TfN, TfGM and RNP on which Ministers and Northern leaders made a decision on a new timetable.
Asked by: Lord Scriven (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment, if any, they have made of the use of £105 million of public money being made available to reopen Sheffield Doncaster Airport, and what assessment they have made of the value for money of that project.
Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
Regional airports like Doncaster Sheffield Airport serve our local communities and businesses, support thousands of jobs and act as a gateway to international opportunities. They also help to maintain social and family ties and strengthen the bonds between our four nations.
Assessing the value for money case for public money being used to support the airport reopening is the responsibility of the relevant local authorities providing the funding. The City of Doncaster Council’s business case suggests the re-establishment of aviation within the region could support over 5,000 direct jobs and 6,500 indirect jobs and boost the economy by £6.6bn when fully operational.
Asked by: Lord Scriven (Liberal Democrat - 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 February (HL4719), whether they were (1) part of the Manchester Task Force, or (2) consulted by them, with regards to the withdrawal of the direct Sheffield to Manchester Airport train; and if so, whether they supported the decision.
Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
The Manchester Task Force (MTF) began meeting in February 2020, made up of Department for Transport, Network Rail, train operators, Rail North Partnership, Transport for the North and Transport for Greater Manchester. Through gathering evidence, developing options and publicly consulting, the task force identified a range of short and long-term actions to improve the performance of the railway in Manchester/across the North and support future growth in passengers.
The task force identified the Sheffield-Manchester Airport service, which reversed at Manchester Piccadilly, consuming two train paths in each direction, as one of the worst performing, with a significant impact on delays across the network.
The new timetable developed by MTF has delivered improvements in reliability of around 30 per cent, and the task force concept is now being used to resolve issues on the East Coast main line. As new infrastructure is realised and longer trains allow for a greater capacity with less congestion, we will look at services that could be reintroduced, possibly including direct services from Sheffield to the Airport, although there could be other towns and cities making a case for their pre-2022 direct connections to be restored as well.
Asked by: Lord Scriven (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they were involved in the decision-making process to withdraw the direct train service between Sheffield and Manchester Airport; and, if so, whether they support the withdrawal of this service.
Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
This service was withdrawn in December 2022 in the timetable developed by the Manchester Task Force, a cross-industry group comprising of Transport for the North, train operators and Network Rail, to deliver more reliable services through Manchester.
The task force identified the Sheffield-Manchester Airport service, which reverses at Manchester Piccadilly, consuming two train paths in each direction, as one of the worst performing, with a significant impact on delays across the network.
The new timetable has delivered improvements in reliability of around 30 per cent, and the task force concept is now being used to resolve issues on the East Coast main line. As new infrastructure is realised and longer trains allow for a greater capacity with less congestion, we will look at services that could be reintroduced, possibly including direct services from Sheffield to the Airport, though there could be other towns and cities making a case for their pre-2022 direct connections to be restored as well.
Asked by: Lord Scriven (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to ensure that a direct train service between Sheffield and Manchester Airport is reinstated, and according to what timeframe.
Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
I wrote to the Noble Lord in July, explaining this service was withdrawn in December 2022 as part of the Manchester Task Force’s proposals to address the challenges of Manchester’s constrained capacity. We remain committed to improved rail connectivity in growing the Northern and national economy.
Asked by: Lord Scriven (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government when they expect bi-mode hydrogen trains to enter service on East Midlands Railway.
Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
East Midlands Railway’s (EMR’s) new Aurora bi-mode trains (electric and diesel) are currently being built by Hitachi at its Newton Aycliffe factory in County Durham. The first three trains are doing test runs on the East Coast and Midland Main Lines. EMR currently expect that the trains will start to be introduced on intercity services in 2025 with the full fleet of trains coming into service during 2025 and 2026.