Asked by: Lord Snape (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what was the benefit-cost ratio of the railway investment schemes for which funding has not been confirmed including (1) the York Area Capacity and Performance, (2) South West Rail Resilience Programme phase 5, (3) Midland Mainline Electrification phase 3, and (4) Peckham Rye Station Congestion.
Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
Benefit Cost Ratios (BCRs) within the economic case are only one element of decision-making on schemes and should be considered alongside the other cases in the five case business model used in Government (strategic, economic, financial, commercial and management cases). BCRs evolve as a project is developed through different levels of maturity as well as with changing scope, costs and benefits profiles. Definitive BCRs are not available for these schemes as they are either at an early stage of development or for which existing analysis is not up to date and therefore not representative of current scheme assumptions.
Asked by: Lord Snape (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the remarks by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill on 14 July 2025 (HL Deb cols 1678–1681), whether they will publish for each of the road schemes for which funding was confirmed (1) the benefit-cost ration, (2) the latest cost estimate with the date of that cost estimate, and (3) the appraisal made under the Department for Transport’s capital spend review announced in July 2024.
Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
(1) Detailed information on Strategic Road Network (SRN) schemes is available in the applications for planning consent, available on the Planning Inspectorate’s website. Benefit-cost ratio information for Major Road Network/Large Local Majors (MRN/LLM) schemes is part of the business case evidence and analysis which is provided by Local Authorities. This information is therefore available directly from them, once a scheme is approved at the Full Business Case (FBC) stage.
(2) Scheme costs for the SRN schemes will be confirmed as part of the setting of the third Road Investment Strategy, planned to be published by the end of March 2026. For MRN/LLM schemes, individual financial details cannot be provided ahead of assessing the Full Business Case, as doing so would jeopardise procurement exercises and contract negotiations.
(3) The Capital Review provided strategic advice to the Secretary of State. It did not appraise any specific projects, programmes or portfolios.
Asked by: Lord Snape (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government when they plan to publish a clear transition plan for the transfer of retail responsibilities from train operating company retail websites to Great British Railways; and whether they will also publish a timetable for formal market consultation and tendering for the Great British Railways online rail ticket retailing.
Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
Once Great British Railways (GBR) is established, it will retail online by consolidating individual train operators’ ticket websites. This will take place alongside a thriving private sector retail market, which will continue to play a key role in driving innovation and investment and encouraging more people to choose rail.
The Railways Bill consultation took place in the Spring. As part of this process, the Government consulted closely with the industry, the private sector, and wider stakeholders, including in relation to the future of the rail retail market. A formal update will be provided in due course.
Asked by: Lord Snape (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether there will be an interim digital rail retail solution available before train operating company retail websites are turned off and before the Great British Railways online rail ticket retailing goes live.
Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
Once Great British Railways (GBR) is established, it will retail online by consolidating individual train operators’ ticket websites. This will take place alongside a thriving private sector retail market, which will continue to play a key role in driving innovation and investment and encouraging more people to choose rail.
The Railways Bill consultation took place in the Spring. As part of this process, the Government consulted closely with the industry, the private sector, and wider stakeholders, including in relation to the future of the rail retail market. A formal update will be provided in due course.
Asked by: Lord Snape (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the advantages to rail freight and passenger services of the proposed Ely Area Capacity Enhancement and associated improvements to Haughley junction; and what is the benefit-cost ratio for these schemes; and what are their current cost estimates.
Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
The Ely Area Capacity Enhancement was assessed as having a Benefit Cost Ratio of 4.89 against a cost estimate of £489m at Outline Business Case stage, at the point the programme was paused in 2022.
We are focused on prioritising the schemes that will make the greatest difference for passengers and support economic growth as quickly as possible. The previous government had committed to a number of projects that were unfunded, including the EACE scheme.
Asked by: Lord Snape (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have for establishing a rail miles loyalty scheme to attract more people to the railways and to end the fragmentation of rail services and any resulting confusion about tickets.
Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
This Government has set out its ambition to simplify the ticketing system and drive innovation across the network. Affordability is one of our key objectives – so that prices are kept, wherever possible, at a point that works for both passengers and taxpayers.
Once established, I expect Great British Railways to consider the potential for loyalty schemes, as part of our intention to encourage the highest number of passengers to use our railways.
Asked by: Lord Snape (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to recommence the tendering process for the Consolidated Online Retail Solution to ensure that Great British Railways will be able to sell tickets online as well as at railway stations.
Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
Fares, ticketing, and retail will continue to be the responsibility of train operators until Great British Railways is established. Through future legislation, we will set out the role we expect Great British Railways to play in relation to operational aspects of the railway.
Asked by: Lord Snape (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they will support the establishment of a Great British Railways online rail retailer to ensure a consolidated and transparent rail retail offer in addition to existing rail retailers.
Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
Fares, ticketing, and retail will continue to be the responsibility of train operators until Great British Railways is established. Through future legislation, we will set out the role we expect Great British Railways to play in relation to operational aspects of the railway.
Asked by: Lord Snape (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they will allow Great British Railways to act as an online rail retailer.
Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
Fares, ticketing, and retail will continue to be the responsibility of train operators until Great British Railways is established. Through future legislation, we will set out the role we expect Great British Railways to play in relation to operational aspects of the railway.
Asked by: Lord Snape (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions have taken place with independent rail retailers such as (1) SilverRail, (2) Trainline, and (3) Worldline, about future rail fare simplification.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton
We have been clear in the Plan for Rail White Paper that we want to simplify the current mass of complicated fares and tickets, whilst protecting affordable turn up and go tickets and season tickets.
We are engaging with wider industry, including independent rail retailers, as part of this work.