Asked by: Lyn Brown (Labour - West Ham)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he has made an assessment of the potential merits of taking steps to improve the hygiene and social distancing capacity of the Transpennine Rail upgrade in response to the covid-19 outbreak.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The business case for the Transpennine Rail Upgrade is being developed. Steps to improve hygiene and social distancing will be fully considered as part of the delivery of the programme. In the interim the rail industry will continue to actively encourage passengers to socially distance, manage passenger flows and increase cleaning regimes.
Asked by: Lyn Brown (Labour - West Ham)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to ensure that there are effective links between (a) the High Speed Rail One network, (b) the planned High Speed Rail Two network and (c) Stratford International station.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Secretary of State commissioned the HS1 Connectivity Study Report in 2015 which considered a wide range of high speed rail and conventional rail options to link High Speed 2 (HS2) with High Speed 1 (HS1) at St Pancras International and Stratford International stations. No suitable option could be identified that delivered value for money for the tax payer due to the complexity in construction, excessive costs and the level of disruption it would cause.
The Department for Transport is working with HS2 Ltd, Camden Council, Transport for London and other local stakeholders to enhance non-rail connectivity between the HS2 station at Euston and the HS1 station at St Pancras as part of the planned wider redevelopment of the Euston area.
Asked by: Lyn Brown (Labour - West Ham)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to plans for High Speed Rail Two, whether he plans to make an assessment of the potential merits of adding Stratford International as an operating station to the High Speed Rail One route.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
There are no plans to add Stratford International as an operating station on the HS2 network. The Department considered Stratford International in the initial HS2 station selection process, however, it was not taken forward as it was not considered to release the same level of benefits to onward connectivity and passenger journey times as the planned HS2 London stations.
The Department for Transport also considered a number of rail and tunnel link options between HS2 and HS1, including a long tunnel connecting Stratford International station and Old Oak Common. However, these were rejected on the basis of excessive cost and disruption.
Asked by: Lyn Brown (Labour - West Ham)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment he has made of the effect of the covid-19 outbreak on the feasibility of the proposed 2031 opening date for High Speed Rail Two.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
We have recently published the second HS2 Parliamentary report with an update provided on potential Covid-related impacts on Phase One. HS2 Ltd is currently re-planning its schedule for Phase One to mitigate slower than planned progress on construction, including verified impacts from Covid-19. However, this will not impact the projected Delivery into Service date range of 2029-2033.
The full impact of Covid-19 on cost and schedule continues to be assessed, including work to disaggregate Covid-19 impacts from other cost and schedule impacts on the programme.
Asked by: Lyn Brown (Labour - West Ham)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment he has made of the effect of skills shortages in the transport sector on the effectiveness of High Speed Rail Two.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department commissioned the National Skills Academy for Rail in January 2021 to provide data on skills shortages across transport modes. Skills shortages were identified in infrastructure construction, rail, freight and logistics. The Department is now working, in collaboration with industry partners, stakeholders, other Government departments and public bodies (including HS2 Ltd), to identify mitigations and ensure it addresses the challenges facing both the transport industry and the wider economy.
HS2 Ltd has also developed a Skills, Employment and Education strategy, that focuses on securing the skills and labour required to build HS2, and leave a legacy of a highly-skilled and diverse workforce. Underlying this strategy are labour and skills forecasting data and analysis which provide an assessment of potential mismatches between HS2 labour and skills requirements and their availability. Reforecast data is expected to be published later this year.
Asked by: Lyn Brown (Labour - West Ham)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make an assessment of the environmental impact of the Transpennine Rail upgrade.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
As with all rail upgrades, our evaluation of the options made through the business case process will consider the long-term benefit of the scheme in terms of its contribution to the Government’s commitment to decarbonize the economy by 2050. Environmental Impact Assessments for the construction itself will be undertaken in accordance with the relevant regulations.
Asked by: Lyn Brown (Labour - West Ham)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment he has made of the value for money of the Transpennine Rail upgrade.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
We are currently evaluating a range of different options for the TransPennine Route Upgrade (TRU) which will be selected later this year, informed by the Integrated Rail Plan for the North and Midlands. The value for money of each option varies and it is therefore not possible to be specific at this stage.
Asked by: Lyn Brown (Labour - West Ham)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent estimate he has made of the completion date of the Transpennine Rail upgrade.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
We are currently evaluating a range of different options for the TransPennine Route Upgrade (TRU) which will be selected later this year, informed by the Integrated Rail Plan for the North and Midlands. These options range in their delivery date dependent on the option which is eventually chosen.
Asked by: Lyn Brown (Labour - West Ham)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he plans to make a new assessment of the value for money of the Transpennine Rail upgrade in response to potential estimated revisions to the take-up of public transport as a result of the covid-19 outbreak.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
We are undertaking analysis in support of the next business case for the TransPennine Route Upgrade which we expect to complete later this year. This will consider different post-COVID-19 demand scenarios.
Asked by: Lyn Brown (Labour - West Ham)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment he has made of trends in the number of qualified LGV drivers claiming jobseeker’s allowance.
Answered by Rachel Maclean
The number of LGV drivers claiming Jobseeker’s Allowance in February 2021 was 80, down 11 per cent from a year ago. The number of qualified LGV drivers claiming Jobseeker’s Allowance has historically been low, reflecting the ongoing LGV driver shortages in the logistics industry.
Departmental officials are working with colleagues at the Department for Work and Pensions and Jobcentre Plus to ensure that qualified LGV drivers are able to move back into work as soon as possible.