Asked by: Imran Hussain (Labour - Bradford East)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of the introduction of a Northern Oyster Card for transport capacity and connectivity in the North of England.
Answered by Andrew Jones
A business case is being developed, in conjunction with Transport for the North, to enable the rail network in the North for smart ticketing. This will consider the impact on connectivity and capacity. The business case will also examine how rail services could be integrated with existing, and emerging, smart schemes in the Northern cities.
Asked by: Imran Hussain (Labour - Bradford East)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the potential effect on the number of flights from Leeds-Bradford Airport of the expansion of (a) Heathrow, (b) Gatwick and (c) neither airport.
Answered by Robert Goodwill
To ensure our long term connectivity needs can be met, the previous Government established the independent Airports Commission to identify and recommend to Government options for maintaining this country’s status as an international hub for aviation. Three options for expansion were shortlisted by the Commission for further examination.
The Airports Commission has discussed and consulted on how airports outside the South East might be affected by expansion at the shortlisted expansion options. The relevant documents can be found on the Airports Commission website: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/airports-commission
The Commission’s final report was published on 01 July 2015. The Government will not be commenting on the any of the Airports Commission’s recommendations until it has had time to examine all the evidence.
Asked by: Imran Hussain (Labour - Bradford East)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of renovating Bradford Interchange station.
Answered by Claire Perry
The National Station Improvement Programme (NSIP) allocated just over £200k in 2011/12 to provide improved waiting room facilities at Bradford Interchange.
There are currently no plans for further work at this station. It should be noted that most of the station is not in the control of the rail industry, being an interchange owned by West Yorkshire Combined Authority.
Asked by: Imran Hussain (Labour - Bradford East)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will take steps to (a) shorten journey times and (b) increase train speeds on the Calder Valley Line between Bradford Interchange and Manchester Victoria.
Answered by Andrew Jones
There is a package of improvements to deliver significant journey time reductions between Bradford and Manchester. This is to be undertaken in two phases: as part of the Northern Hub early phases, there will be improvements from Manchester to Sowerby Bridge and later, with independent local funding, improvements are being promoted by West Yorkshire Combined Authority between Sowerby Bridge and Bradford. The two schemes together should cut the journey time to 53 minutes, which is approaching an around 9 per cent saving on the current best journey time.
Asked by: Imran Hussain (Labour - Bradford East)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to increase the provision of public transport in (a) Bradford and (b) Yorkshire and the Humber.
Answered by Andrew Jones
This Government is investing significantly to improve public transport in Yorkshire and the Humber, including:
As part of the West Yorkshire Combined Authority, Bradford will benefit from the £39.4m Integrated Transport Block funding allocated to the Combined Authority for the period 2015/16 to 2017/18 (with a further £39.4m provisionally allocated for the period 2018/19 to 2020/21), out of the total allocated to Yorkshire and the Humber. In addition, through the Leeds City Region Growth Deal, Government is providing up to £781m over 20 years for the West Yorkshire Plus Transport Fund which will support transport schemes across the area, including improvements at rail stations and bus corridors.
The Government is working in partnership with Transport for the North to establish a clear, long-term transport vision for the North of England to support a Northern Powerhouse that is shared by all parties, and a portfolio of prioritised transport investment opportunities.
Asked by: Imran Hussain (Labour - Bradford East)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to improve rail connections between Bradford and (a) London, (b) the rest of the Northern Powerhouse and (c) the rest of the UK.
Answered by Claire Perry
Under the new East Coast franchise Bradford will benefit from a significant increase in the number of direct services to and from London with an additional 6 trains per day from 2019. In addition upgraded train interiors will be introduced by 2017, and new IEP trains from 2020 - providing faster journeys and improved on-board facilities.
As part of the first steps to delivering the Northern Powerhouse the Government has required bidders for the new Northern and TransPennine Express franchises to replace outdated trains, add a third more capacity and invest in stations. The Government has specified an increase from 2 to 3 trains per hour between Bradford and Manchester via Halifax from 2019 (Monday-Saturday) and an increased Sunday frequency – from two hourly to hourly – from Bradford to Skipton and Ilkley.
Looking further ahead, HS2 will enable significantly improved journey times from Bradford via a connection at Leeds to a wide range of destinations. The Government has also established Transport for the North (TfN) to formalise cooperation with Northern City Regions and Local Enterprise Partnerships on transport issues in the North. The Department is working closely with TfN, Network Rail and HS2 Ltd to take forward the development of rail plans to support the development of the Northern Powerhouse.