Asked by: Andrew Cooper (Labour - Mid Cheshire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the barriers are to delivering a half hourly service on the Mid Cheshire line between Northwich and Manchester.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
I am aware of the aspiration for increased services on the Mid-Cheshire Line, and we will continue to discuss how additional services might be provided, with stakeholders including Transport for Greater Manchester and local MPs. Any increase in services would require additional infrastructure, including to address capacity constraints between Manchester Piccadilly and Stockport.
Asked by: Andrew Cooper (Labour - Mid Cheshire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many residential properties in Mid Cheshire constituency have been purchased in preparation for HS2 Phase 2b; and what proportion of those properties have been void for longer than six months.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
HS2 Ltd currently holds 51 residential properties on the Managed Portfolio in the Mid Cheshire constituency, of which 31 are let and 20 are vacant. 9 of these properties have been vacant for 6 months or more. The majority of vacant properties in Mid Cheshire are currently being actively marketed or prepared for letting, though only where such expenditure provides value for money to the taxpayer.
Asked by: Andrew Cooper (Labour - Mid Cheshire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans his Department has to address differences in ticket prices between regulated and un-regulated rail lines.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Under the current system, each train operating company offers a range of fares, some of which are regulated by Government. Train operating companies have flexibility in how they set the prices of unregulated fares; however, in practice, many closely follow the change in regulated fares.
This Government acknowledges that the current fares system is overcomplicated and can be confusing to passengers. We have therefore committed to reviewing it with a view to simplifying it.
Asked by: Andrew Cooper (Labour - Mid Cheshire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will take steps to ensure that feedback is provided to applicants for Access for All funding who were not awarded such funding in the announcement on 24 May 2024; and whether she plans to provide further funding under that scheme.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Given the short time since the general election, I regret I am not yet able to comment on next steps regarding specific station applications through the Access for All programme. However, please be assured that we are committed to improving the accessibility of the railway and recognise the social and economic benefits this brings to communities.