Great Western Railway Routes

Claire Perry Excerpts

Monday 8th February 2016 Commons Chamber

[Mr Bradshaw]

I entirely agree, and we look forward to hearing the Minister respond at the end of this debate. I intend to finish with what I hope will be an attractive suggestion to all those Conservative Members who were swept to power—

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transport (Claire Perry)]

I simply hope that at some point the right hon. Gentleman will welcome the fact that there will be a new station opening in his constituency next year.

[Mr Bradshaw]

Yes, and we have already had a new station opened just outside my constituency—and the investment programme for it was put in place by the Labour Government, so I am very grateful that the Minister did not cut it. [Interruption.] Of course I am grateful for that.

--- Later in debate ---

[Claire Perry]

rose—

[Mr Bradshaw]

I am sorry, but I am not giving way again.

--- Later in debate ---

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transport (Claire Perry)]

I thank my hon. Friend the Member for Torbay (Kevin Foster) for securing this excellent, coherent, thoughtful and wide-ranging debate. He has heard many reports, as have I, of the damage created by Storm Imogen during the day. I am just thankful that everyone is here in one piece. So far, there has been no report of injuries. I am sure we will all be thinking about what our constituents have had to deal with during the course of the day.

Let me deal with a couple of points before answering some of the outstanding questions put to me. A broad set of issues have been raised by Members and I am tempted to respond to many of them.

The right hon. Member for Exeter (Mr Bradshaw) is one of the few Labour Members, I am pleased to say, representing the south-west, but he is an assiduous campaigner on behalf of his rail users—[Interruption.] He is probably the only Labour Member representing the south-west. I am pleased to hear that he enjoys his journeys, accompanied by his bicycle, but I am disappointed that he tends to produce a tirade of misinformation and never likes to have the facts put to him.

I was interested to hear that he rebelled against his party Whip on HS2. I wondered whether he rebelled against—or at least had stern words with—shadow Ministers on issues such as the pitiful performance of the Labour Government on electrification. I know that the right hon. Gentleman was one of a revolving door of Ministers whom I had to face, but let me ask him once again—he could not answer one of my hon. Friends earlier—that at a time when we had a go-go economy and a light-touch regulatory system that was pouring money into the Treasury’s coffers, how many miles did the Labour Government electrify in 13 years? It was fewer than 10 miles.

Do you know why, Mr Deputy Speaker? In Labour’s view, the railway was not something that really mattered. The view of the Labour Government was that they could jack up the fares with the flex and have inflation-busting fares year after year. They did not invest a penny in electrification in the south-west. Here is the thing, though: they could have replaced the Pacers. Do we all remember the Pacers? Do we remember all the heat and fury from Labour about the dreaded Pacers that were carrying thousands of people around the north? Could they have replaced the Pacers in 2003-04? Yes, they could. Did they? Did they heck. Let me tell you why, Mr Deputy Speaker—it is because they do not give a stuff about transport investment. It is not important in Labour’s view, and their track record is disgraceful. Frankly, I will take no lessons whatever from the Labour party on the railways.

I hope that the right hon. Member for Exeter will also have stern words with his party about its plans to abandon the upgrade of the A358, as set out in his party’s manifesto, and about its lack of a word in support of the dualling of the A303, which is vital to the economy of the south-west. If he did not complain about that, which is a road so close to his constituency, I hope he would complain about his party being monetary fantasists who had no plan at all to generate a strong economy, without which we cannot invest in transport infrastructure and in vital public services. I think the whole House can agree that we will take no lessons whatever from—

[Mr Deputy Speaker (Mr Lindsay Hoyle)]

Order. I am going to help a little bit. I am not quite sure how the A303 fits in with a rail debate on the Great Western line. I know that the Minister wants to deal with the railways. Her reputation as the rail Minister is what I want to see tonight.

[Claire Perry]

Far be it for me to criticise you, Mr Deputy Speaker—[Interruption.]

[Mr Deputy Speaker]

We both know that that is not an option.

[Claire Perry]

But the roads and rail investment is vital to this region.

[Mr Deputy Speaker]

It looks like I need to be even more helpful. If the Minister looks at the title of the debate, she should realise what it is about, and Members have tried to stick to that subject. I know the Minister has a lot to cover, and I want her to concentrate on what Members have said and on the railways. I know that that is what she wants to do, too.

[Claire Perry]

I will follow your excellent advice, Mr Deputy Speaker.

My hon. Friend the Member for Newton Abbot (Anne Marie Morris) made possibly one of the most impassioned speeches we have heard in the House, drawing attention to the value of this investment and what it does for the region. As for the hon. Member for Ogmore (Huw Irranca-Davies), who made a powerful speech about the extension of the line to Swansea, I am very sad that he will—potentially—leave us in May. I hope that it has nothing to do with anyone whom he nominated for the Labour party leadership; it would be awful to think that he was disappearing on that basis. He will be much missed by many Members on both sides of the House. I have asked my hon. Friend the Member for Vale of Glamorgan (Alun Cairns), the Under-Secretary of State for Wales, if he will meet the hon. Gentleman, as a matter of urgency, to discuss the important infrastructure issues that he raised.

My hon. Friend the Member for Plymouth, Sutton and Devonport (Oliver Colvile) was, I believe, the only Member who mentioned the vital role of freight on the railways, and he was very clear about his priorities for the constituency. I am delighted that the Laira depot, which I have visited, is being retained, because of the important jobs that it brings, although I was disappointed that he did not mention hedgehogs once. I had hoped to hear a plea for a hedgehog crossing.

My hon. Friend the Member for North Devon (Peter Heaton-Jones)—whom I have enjoyed meeting many times, along with Mr Mike Day—raised the possible opportunities on the Tarka line, which are fantastic. My door is open, and I am happy to give further consideration to his proposals.

The right hon. Member for Slough (Fiona Mactaggart), who is no longer in the Chamber—I think that she had to leave early—is another passionate campaigner for rail. Her constituency will, of course benefit from the Government’s record investment in the railway, and particularly in Crossrail. I take her point about the Heathrow spur. However, she accused my Department of having tunnel vision. Far from it: we are multi-tasking on a daily basis. We are delivering the electrification of the midland main line, the Great Western main line electrification—about which I shall say more shortly—the multi-billion-pound Thameslink programme, and Crossrail. We are delivering £38 billion of investment on the country’s railways. That is the biggest investment programme since Victorian times. However, one of the lessons that we have painfully learnt is that if we are committing money, it must be spent wisely. The hon. Lady was right to raise the Heathrow issue, and it will be delivered, but it is a question of appropriate sequencing.

My hon. and gallant Friend the Member for Plymouth, Moor View (Johnny Mercer)—who is not a trainspotter, I gather—made a powerful point about the regional need for transport investment to drive entrepreneurial growth. He made the important point, which was received rather churlishly by Labour Members, that private sector economic growth drives the best improvement in life chances, particularly in a disadvantaged constituency. I was disappointed by Labour Members’ reaction to that.

[Huw Irranca-Davies]

In fact, the private sector has an important role to play in development and growth. However, as the Minister will know, the company that has achieved the highest satisfaction, the highest investment and the lowest bills is a not-for-profit water company called Dwr Cymru, which returns its surpluses to shareholders. Does she agree that the Wales consultation—it was launched on my birthday, 22 January—on a not-for-dividend model for the Wales and Borders franchise is a worthwhile exercise, given that it is considering a different way of delivering more value to rail users?

[Claire Perry]

When the hon. Gentleman becomes First Minister—which is, I am sure, his aspiration—he will have every opportunity to look at models for that franchise for the Welsh railways, because it is a devolved matter. However, I hope that he will be grateful, as I am, for the Government’s commitment of £125 million, over and above the Barnett consequentials, to ensure that electrification of the Welsh valleys is delivered. How the work is sequenced will, of course be within the purview of the Welsh Government.

As always, my hon. and, allegedly, rugged Friend the Member for North Cornwall (Scott Mann) spoke passionately about the potential of his constituency. He also made the important point that branch lines that create local connectivity are vital to the railway. I hope that the Peninsula Rail Task Force, about which I shall say more later—I know that there is bated breath in the Chamber—will capture some of the investment. My hon. Friend also made an important point about the sleeper service, which the Government have supported with a multi-million-pound investment. I am glad that it is rocking him to sleep every Thursday night, but it is also a vital way of building the tourism and business pathway down to the south-west, and I am very pleased that that work has been done.

My hon. Friend the Member for Wells (James Heappey) pointed out the importance of transport links, including road links. I am sorry that I was ruled out of order by mentioning road links earlier, so I will not mention them again, Mr Deputy Speaker. My hon. Friend made a point about regional investment, and I want to assure him that this is not a zero-sum game. It is not a question of pitching the north against the south-west or the south-east. In this Government’s view, transport investment across the local, regional and national economies drives up economic growth, and economic growth delivers greater tax revenues and greater skills. That is a boat that floats the entire country higher, so if we can generate economic growth from transport investment, we will all benefit from that.

My hon. Friend made the fascinating point about regional transport around an area and talked about commuting into Bristol, where house prices can be very high. I hail from that area and I know it very well. In this regard, we would be looking to organisations such as the Peninsula Rail Task Force to help us to understand where every pound of spending can deliver maximum economic growth.

My hon. Friend the Member for Taunton Deane (Rebecca Pow) cannot be here tonight as she is recovering from surgery, but she too has campaigned on the vital issue of regional connectivity and is working hard on proposals to put forward to the new station investment fund, to which this Government have committed another £20 million in the latest spending review. I hope that I have now mentioned everyone who has contributed to the debate.

What is going on with this line? This debate is about the future of the Great Western railway. Some people have called it “God’s wonderful railway;” others have called it the “great way round.” It is a railway that I know very well. I grew up in Bristol and I remember when the InterCity 125s came to the city. It was as though we were no longer cut off; we were finally connected. However, as many Members have pointed out, those self-same trains are still running today. Some of them have been re-patched; they have been rebranded and refreshed. They still work, and they are a tribute to their engineering, design and maintenance, but they are now old trains. In the past 20 years, passenger numbers have doubled on that line. Indeed, since privatisation, passenger journeys are at a record high, with numbers having doubled across the country.

Too many trains are overcrowded and too many paths are full. Successive Governments of all political colours—I hold my hands up here—have not taken the necessary tough decisions on railway investment. Too many difficult decisions have been ducked and, as I have said, Labour’s record on this is really nothing to shout about. However, despite the appalling economic chaos that we inherited, this Government have picked up the pieces and said, “We will invest more than £38 billion on our railways.” Moreover—if I may crave your indulgence for a moment, Mr Deputy Speaker—we will put our road investment budget on a sustainable basis, so that all our transport systems can be protected.

This is truly the most ambitious rail upgrade since Victorian times, and it is being directed at the south-west because that region is a priority for this Government. Good transport reduces the cost of doing business. It helps local companies to reach new markets and to grow, and it helps local people to travel to new opportunities. It helps students to travel to our wonderful universities. However, poor transport acts as a drag on growth and on social aspiration, and this Government understand the importance of rail investment in the south-west.

Powerful cases have been made tonight about the need to transform the Great Western main line. Over the next four years, the 40-year-old InterCity 125s will be replaced by reliable cutting-edge intercity express trains. I have seen them, and they are great. Along with the electrification of the fleet running on the suburban lines around London, they will deliver a 40% increase in the number of seats coming into Paddington. That is an incredible number, and it will start to deal with the overcrowding problems that we have heard about tonight. Also, journey times will be cut by up to 15 minutes, which will help to achieve some of the ambitions that have been described today. Fifty stations and 170 bridges will be improved, along with 200 miles of track and 17 tunnels, including the Box tunnel, which I have been through on a people-mover. All this work is going on.

The hon. Member for Ogden—[Hon. Members: “Ogmore.”] The hon. Member for Ogbourne—

[Melanie Onn (Great Grimsby) (Lab)]

Do you know Wales very well?

[Claire Perry]

I know Bristol much better than Wales. The hon. Member for Ogmore (Huw Irranca-Davies) made an important point about electrification. I want to tell him that the commitment to electrify the line to Cardiff is absolutely baked into the new Hendy plans, and he must consider that as preliminary work towards Swansea—[Interruption.] It is difficult to get through the Severn tunnel, as he knows, but the work is going on and the gantries are in place. We have made the commitment that the electrification will continue on to Swansea the next capital period. [Interruption.] He says, “What about the new trains?” Of course the hybrid trains that we have purchased will be able to run on those tracks, so his constituents will see the journey time and capacity improvements, and those brand-new, state-of-the-art trains. I hope that he will at least be happy with that—

[Huw Irranca-Davies]

rose—

[Claire Perry]

I can tell that the hon. Gentleman is not and that he is going to ask for another piece of infrastructure.

[Huw Irranca-Davies]

I winced only because I could feel the whole population west of Cardiff wincing at the same time as we were told that that was an interim measure to get us there. I do understand the point the Minister was making, however. Will the right hon. Lady—

[Claire Perry]

Hon. Lady.

[Huw Irranca-Davies]

She would be right hon. in my eyes if she could give the date when we will see the completion to Swansea.

[Claire Perry]

I am sorry, but I do not have that completion date. As the plans proceed and the work accelerates on the electrification to Cardiff, I will be happy to make sure that the hon. Gentleman is one of the first people to know, in whatever the capacity. I was invited earlier to choose glory, but my job is to serve—that is it.

Let us talk a little about the direct investment, as well as this Great Western line, because some people, including the hon. Gentleman, might legitimately say, “That is fine, but it just goes to Bristol and the south-west is much more than just Bristol.” Indeed, it is much more than just Cardiff, if we are talking about south Wales. What is actually happening for the south-western peninsula? Hon. Members were right to say that the south-west has sat and watched other regions pull ahead and wondered why that was happening. The south-west has vital extractive industries and some brilliant talent, but we are, in effect, cut off. Whether it was what happened at Dawlish or other transport network issues that had to prove that, the events at Dawlish were a wake-up call for so many of us. The work done on restoring that line showed that where there was a will and funding, there was a way to deliver. That is why in this Parliament the Government are investing more than £400 million directly in the rail system for this region. We are providing the class AT300 trains—the bimodal trains—which go through my constituency, too. I put my hands up: this is a great thing for my constituents, too. Those trains will provide fast, reliable journey times down to the south-west.

We have opened a new station at Newcourt, with others to come at Marsh Barton and at Edginswell, in the constituency of my hon. Friend the Member for Torbay in the next 18 months. We are re-signalling the main line from Totnes to Penzance, which is vital. The right hon. Member for Exeter mentioned Reading station, where this Government are making a £700 million investment in untangling freight and passenger lines, so cutting a key source of delay on that line. We have overhauled the Night Riviera sleeper trains, and I am told that the new launch will be before the vital tourist season this year. We are expanding the Long Rock train maintenance site at Penzance to maintain those trains, and of course we spent £35 million at Dawlish at the time of the works, and money has continued to go into that project since, because it is not enough just to stabilise the track for now.

As we have heard over and again tonight, the challenge will be in future-proofing these lines, which are in some of the most exposed parts of the railway network. That is why £3.5 million has been spent by Network Rail on the geological analysis—on the cliff resilience analysis—to make sure that what is proposed for Dawlish works for the future. An additional £31 million is also being spent at 10 sites across the south-west, including the works at Cowley bridge, and the installation of rainfall and other monitoring. We are trying to make sure that the flooding problems we saw in 2014 do not happen again.

We have a plan for the south-west and we are determined to improve the resilience for the south-west. We also have a plan for Wales, and although the hon. Member for Ogmore may not be entirely happy with it, this Government are delivering for Wales, too. I was pleased to hear an almost universal series of comments about Great Western Railway today, which is delivering its highest ever score for overall passenger satisfaction. As has been said time and again today, it has really delivered at a time of tough service disruption. It is delivering 3% year-on-year increases in customer scores and it is determined to do more.

There is a No.1 question today. People have said, “Okay Minister, you have told us that this matters and clearly there is a long-term plan, but what about the resilience study?” I am delighted to assure the House that we have indeed negotiated a package that will make sure that those relatively small but important studies do go ahead, to form part of the plan that we are expecting to get from the great Peninsula Rail Task Force. I wanted to keep everyone in suspense until the last possible moment. Therefore, the GRIP 2 study—governance for railway investment projects—into line speed improvements between London and Devon and Cornwall can go ahead to establish what more can be done to bring about track and signalling improvements. That is an important but not the only part of the study. I am really excited that the Peninsula Rail Task Force will report in June with a vision for the next 20 years. That work will include the resilience questions at Dawlish and the journey time improvements we need. That is no easy task, so we should all thank the relevant parties, led ably by the chair of Devon County Council, for putting that work together.

[Mr Bradshaw]

I think what the Minister just said is welcome, but she used the expression, “We have negotiated a package.” How much are the Government putting on the table compared with the local authorities, which have already put quite a lot on the table?

[Claire Perry]

We have not been asked to put in a penny. Great Western Railway has funded the study, as part of our negotiations with it. No Government money was ever being put into these studies. We stood by to make sure the studies happened—

[Andy McDonald]

Stood by!

[Claire Perry]

No, we were prepared to backstop any shortfall, but Great Western Railway agreed to fund this small part of the overall plan. We are talking about £200,000 to £300,000, as opposed to the £3.5 million Network Rail has already spent. I hope the right hon. Member for Exeter, just for once, is going to crack a smile and welcome something. Go on! Just welcome something the Government have done. No? I think we will move on.

The Government are committed to the region, and these studies will go ahead. This is a vital region of the country for transport investment and economic growth, and I am delighted, as both a south-west MP and the rail Minister, to confirm that those studies will go ahead.