Asked by: Jonathan Reynolds (Labour (Co-op) - Stalybridge and Hyde)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the latest timetable and scope of improvements being planned to TransPennine Services on the Huddersfield Rail line; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Chris Heaton-Harris - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
Transport for the North, the Department for Transport and the rail industry monitor timetable changes and agreed actions for the December 2018 timetable which gave passengers a more resilient service on the Huddersfield line. These measures have continued into 2019 and the planned introduction of new longer trains and timetable improvements for this December means further stability, faster services and increased capacity.
Asked by: Jonathan Reynolds (Labour (Co-op) - Stalybridge and Hyde)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many days (a) Northern and (b) Transpennine Express have achieved their performance targets since the start of its franchise in April 2016.
Answered by Lord Johnson of Marylebone
The performance benchmarks for both Northern and TransPennine Express are calculated on a 4-weekly period based on a moving annual average rather than assessed against individual days.
There is a re-benchmarking process currently underway to assess the impact on the franchisees’ performance regimes of late the delivery of infrastructure against that assumed in their bids. Once this exercise has been completed, the Department will be able to assess how Northern and TransPennine Express have performed against their targets.
Asked by: Jonathan Reynolds (Labour (Co-op) - Stalybridge and Hyde)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what progress has been made on the trans-Pennine upgrade programme; and what the timetable is for completion.
Answered by Paul Maynard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
We are currently working with Rail North and Network Rail to develop very significant improvements for rail passengers on the route from 2022. These could be the result of investment in new trains, electrification or other infrastructure work. The options will be costed by December, ahead of a decision next year.
Asked by: Jonathan Reynolds (Labour (Co-op) - Stalybridge and Hyde)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what funding his Department plans to make available to support the expansion of the Metrolink tram network in Greater Manchester.
Answered by Jesse Norman
It is for the Greater Manchester Combined Authority to decide how to fund any future extensions to the Manchester Metrolink system. This could include bidding for central Government funding. GMCA has already received funding from the Local Large Majors Fund to help develop a business case for a short extension of the Airport Line to serve the expanded terminal. They plan to bid for scheme funding by the end of the year. The bid will be in competition with a number of other schemes and decisions on which will be funded are to be taken in the New Year.
Asked by: Jonathan Reynolds (Labour (Co-op) - Stalybridge and Hyde)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent progress his Department has made on the proposed trans-pennine tunnel.
Answered by Jesse Norman
Highways England and Transport for the North are continuing work to understand the cost and benefits of linking the Manchester and Sheffield areas by tunnel. This will be completed by the autumn, when more information will be made available.
Asked by: Jonathan Reynolds (Labour (Co-op) - Stalybridge and Hyde)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to reduce the level of emissions from road transport.
Answered by Jesse Norman
The Government will be publishing its air quality plan to tackle nitrogen dioxide emissions by the end of July. We also intend to publish our emissions reduction plan - setting out how we will reduce carbon emissions through the 2020s – once Parliament returns after the summer recess.
Asked by: Jonathan Reynolds (Labour (Co-op) - Stalybridge and Hyde)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what progress has been made to date on the Mottram bypass.
Answered by John Hayes
Highways England is progressing with the design and assessment of options for the Mottram Bypass as part of the wider Trans-Pennine Upgrade Programme announced by the Government in the Road Investment Strategy in December 2014.
Planning for a Non Statutory Public Consultation on the options is under way and scheduled to take place in spring 2017. Details of the consultation approach will be shared with stakeholders and local Members of Parliament in early February 2017.
Two public awareness events were held in Hollingworth and Tankersley in October 2016 to inform the public of the planned improvements and to obtain early feedback on the emerging proposals. These events were also helpful in seeking a consensus on the potential extension of the benefits of the Mottram bypass to the residents of Hollingworth and Tintwistle.
The feedback from the local events has helped inform the development of the proposals which will be shared with the public at the consultation planned for spring 2017.
Following non-statutory consultation in spring 2017, Highways England will consider the feedback before making a recommendation to the Secretary of State for a Preferred Route in summer 2017.
Asked by: Jonathan Reynolds (Labour (Co-op) - Stalybridge and Hyde)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent progress there has been on the electrification works to the TransPennine rail line through Stalybridge; and what his most recent estimate is of the potential completion date of those works.
Answered by Paul Maynard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
Completion of the Transpennine Route Upgrade (including electrification and delivery of key capacity and journey time benefits for passengers of the Transpennine line between Manchester-Stalybridge-Leeds-York) is currently in the development phase. This development work is expected to conclude in December 2017. The level of investment required from Government will be considered in early 2018, and, subject to a satisfactory business case, delivery would commence with a target completion by December 2022.
Asked by: Jonathan Reynolds (Labour (Co-op) - Stalybridge and Hyde)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when he expects new rolling stock to be deployed on the Manchester to Stalybridge railway line.
Answered by Paul Maynard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
TransPennine Express plan to see new rolling stock deployed on the Manchester to Stalybridge line progressively from mid-2018.
Northern plan to deploy refurbished rolling stock on the Manchester to Stalybridge line and will introduce their fleet refurbishment programme progressively across the network from 2018 up until the end of 2019 which includes recovering seats, new floor coverings, Wi-Fi, LED lighting, and passenger information system.
Asked by: Jonathan Reynolds (Labour (Co-op) - Stalybridge and Hyde)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment Network Rail has made of the (a) available capacity on the Stalybridge to Stockport railway line and (b) feasibility of providing additional passenger services on that railway line.
Answered by Paul Maynard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
1) Available capacity on the Stalybridge to Stockport railway line
The single line sections limit the track capacity on this route, which is currently used for frequent freight services and empty stock moves for Northern Rail.
Platform and track capacity at Stockport is also a constraint on service expansion in this area.
2) Feasibility of providing additional passenger services on that railway line.
Additional services on this route are not committed by Northern during the current franchise. To support expansion of services in the future, DfT and Rail North contracted a Service Option Fund through Northern’s Franchise Agreement that will be used from 2019 onwards to assist with the operating cost impact of running extra services.
The assessment of which service options are the most beneficial will be done in consultation with stakeholders (through Rail North) and will include analysis of the business case for each route to ensure that all relevant factors are considered.