East West Rail: Bedford to Cambridge

Mark Hendrick Excerpts

Tuesday 13th June 2023 Westminster Hall

[Richard Fuller]

I do, but I would not do what I understand the Liberal Democrats are doing in Mid Bedfordshire, which is to ask people which housing estate they do not like so that they can oppose it—that is not the right way to do it. However, as regards very large-scale developments, the hon. Lady is absolutely right, and we should have that consideration. In 2019 I stood on a manifesto calling for infrastructure first on these large-scale developments. I do not know whether the Minister can give me an update on that—it is not his remit, so I do not expect him to, but it is important, and he stood on the same manifesto as I did.

We should all do our fair share. I looked at the census data on the growth in households between the 2011 and 2021 censuses. The national average increase in households over that period was 6%, and I think we all feel that rapid growth in our constituencies. Perhaps unwisely, I then decided to look at specific constituencies. I looked at the Chancellor’s constituency, and he is doing his bit, with 6% growth. I looked at the Secretary of State for Transport’s constituency, and there was a 9% increase in households over that period, which is a substantial amount above the national average. The Minister, who is responsible for rail, had only 5% growth, but we will forgive him that 1%. In North East Bedfordshire from 2011 to 2021, there was 21% growth, which is already three and a half times the national average of growth in households. That is already putting pressure on GP services, dentists and school places. How on earth can I, as the MP for North East Bedfordshire, allow further pressure through an increase in housing growth until those problems are dealt with?

I want to turn to the environmental impact. I had an interaction today with Councillor Tracey Wye, who represents the ward that includes Potton. She wrote to me to say she would like to see a commitment that this project would be in harmony with the environment—something so future-proof, leading-edge and creative that we would be at the leading edge of sustainability and climate resilience. I could not agree more; she is absolutely right.

We have been a bit misled, I would say—perhaps that is unfair—about the electrification of this line. Originally, in the Railways Act 2005, it was going to be electrified as part of the electric spine. In the high-level output specification of July 2012, the line was listed as a new electric railway line. It was then dropped by East West Rail Company, but the company’s latest document now says that it may come back. Minister, which is it? Are we electrified or are we not? Is it battery powered or not? The announcement was supposed to clarify the form of traction, but it has done nothing of the sort.

I believe that Ministers know that the original plans by Lord Adonis in the 2017 “Partnership for Prosperity” report were bogus, and they have not kept pace with changes in working patterns and our greater focus on environmental issues. A previous Secretary of State cancelled the Oxford-to-Cambridge expressway in 2021, stating that

“analysis shows that the benefits the road would deliver are outweighed by the costs”.

Precisely that charge can be laid today against East West Rail, so why is the current Secretary of State not taking the same action?

A constituent wrote to tell me:

“From a net-zero perspective, how could they possibly introduce a new transport link, with the intention of running diesel trains on it until 2040 at the earliest? Hardly what you’d describe as inspirational or forward thinking.”

Another constituent wrote:

“As someone with long standing involvement in the biotech industry and academic community, I would question the whole rationale for the railway in the first place. Of course we all want to consolidate Cambridge’s position as a technology hub, but if science and industry in Oxford and Cambridge want to collaborate they’d do it remotely. East West Rail is a 19th century response to a problem for which we in the 21st century have solutions that are cheaper, better and less environmentally destructive.”

I call on the Minister to consider those solutions.

[Sir Mark Hendrick (in the Chair)]

I remind Members that they should bob if they wish to be called in the debate.

--- Later in debate ---

[Huw Merriman]

I am impressed with that argument, actually, that rather than electrifying lines—I am a big supporter of that, and we want to and will do more, as we have done 1,200 miles whereas, as I pointed out, in the previous 13 years Labour had done 63—there was a priority focus on rolling stock. That really is pulling the other one. We have been doing both during that whole process. If the hon. Member has been on an Azuma train, he will know full well that they have been delivered under our—

[Sir Mark Hendrick (in the Chair)]

Order. Can we stick to the subject, please?

[Huw Merriman]

Of course, Sir Mark. I am happy to do so, but the invention was so long that I thought you might give me the grace of replying to it fully. I think the point has been made.

Overall, we are committed to the project of East West Rail. The hon. Member for Cambridge set out the case that was recognised—

--- Later in debate ---

[Huw Merriman]

That is not a commitment I can give. As we know, those who tend to write back on consultations tend to be the most affected and are therefore the most troubled by the issue. That is not the way that we would run a consultation. We have of course set out a preferred line of route and the ambition that this railway can deliver, but I can give the hon. Member the assurance—I say this as a former Chair of a Select Committee—that consultations run in my Department under my name will be run properly. We will look at all the responses that come back and at where we can make improvements because residents have come up with really good ideas that will be a win for everyone. I expect to look at those closely and work with those suggestions. It will not be a tick-box exercise for as long as I am responsible for the project; I can give the hon. Member that assurance.

I will wrap up. As I stated, I encourage my hon. Friend the Member for North East Bedfordshire and his constituents to continue to use the opportunities provided through the East West Rail company’s community events and its forthcoming consultation to provide feedback on the plans. I will conclude by thanking you, Sir Mark, and all those who have spoken with passion and expertise. I give my commitment that the Department for Transport will work closely with all the MPs who are represented and have concerns. I hope to assure those who have the most striking concerns and deliver for those who believe, like me, that East West Rail can be a power for good in the region.

[Sir Mark Hendrick (in the Chair)]

I call Richard Fuller to wind up, cognisant of the fact that there is likely to be a vote at around 4 o’clock.

Great British Railways Headquarters: Swindon’s Bid

Mark Hendrick Excerpts

Tuesday 24th May 2022 Westminster Hall

[Sir Mark Hendrick (in the Chair)]

I will call Sir Robert Buckland to move the motion and then the Minister to respond. There will not be an opportunity for the Member in charge to wind up, as is the convention for 30-minute debates.

[Sir Robert Buckland (South Swindon) (Con)]

I beg to move,

That this House has considered Swindon’s bid to host Great British Railways’ headquarters.

It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Sir Mark, and to see the Minister of State, my hon. Friend the Member for Aldridge-Brownhills (Wendy Morton), in her place. I am grateful to the House for allowing me the opportunity to address it on a matter of significant importance to the town I have the honour of representing. I speak today as the Member for South Swindon. My hon. Friend the Member for North Swindon (Justin Tomlinson) is on paternity leave—he recently had the good news of a second daughter, so he is well and truly outnumbered in his house. He strongly supports not only this debate but the bid that Swindon has made to be the headquarters of Great British Railways. I am grateful that the bid is also supported by my right hon. Friend the Member for Chippenham (Michelle Donelan), in her constituency capacity, and by my hon. Friends the Members for North Wiltshire (James Gray) and for Devizes (Danny Kruger)—all constituencies near to or bordering Swindon.

My hon. Friend the Minister will have spent the past several months fielding increasingly plaintive and perhaps strident requests from a large number of parliamentary colleagues and others, extolling the relative virtues of their local bids. I thought I would start not with the merits of Swindon’s bid, but with what it is that we are bidding for. For me and those who think like me, this is more than just an argument about where to cite a cadre of civil servants. It is more than deciding which building to use or what configuration things will take. It is more than something that looks little different from the existing Network Rail. In short, this is not Network Rail with a rebranding. The business model that governs railway service delivery is—I think by common consent—a flawed one.

We are at 72% of pre-covid passenger levels, but something has changed forever. Saturday is now the busiest passenger travel day, followed by Sunday and then Friday. Commuters are still travelling for business purposes, but the era of the annual season ticket is almost completely dead. Why, in the light of this newly acquired knowledge, do we persist with engineering works on weekends and holidays? That is one question that the new body will have to answer. It will also have to build on the work of the Williams-Shapps report. In my strong opinion, a complete and fair review is needed.

A system where the rest of the country, including Swindon, subsidises fares in the south-east is neither fair nor sustainable. A system where a peak-hour ticket from Swindon to London is one of the most expensive tickets in Europe is certainly not fair or sustainable. That is why we need not just a building, but a hothouse of innovation, designing the railway network of tomorrow: its installations, equipment, people, systems and structures. That is the very first of the core goals set out by the Secretary of State in the Department for Transport’s framework document: changing the culture of the railways, rather than merely replicating Network Rail. I put it firmly on the record that we in Swindon understand that better than anybody.

The second core goal is to think like customers and put them first. With thousands of rail users coming through Swindon every day, that is frankly our default position. We have no choice but to think like them and think as them. The third goal is to grow the network and get more people travelling, and the fourth goal is to make the railways easier to use, and I will go on to address those issues.

The fifth goal—an important one—is to have greater accountability, to drive down costs and to increase efficiency. No. 6 is to have a can-do, not a can’t do, culture—again, something that is in the blood of what we are about in Swindon. Then, there is harnessing the best of the private sector, and I will enlarge on that. Finally, there is the critical role to be played in the shift to net zero. In summary, it is Swindon that encapsulates all those core goals.

Let us take the private sector. For a long period now, we have enjoyed the presence of major engineering firms, such as Atkins, Amey and Hochtief, all of which are based in our town. That immediately provides the potential headquarters with excellent proximity to partnership opportunities that will not exist elsewhere.

The net zero commitment has been exemplified by the electrification project that has transformed the Great Western Railway in our region and seen Swindon play a key role not only in the construction of that new electrified railway but in training—through the training centre that we have—to ensure that electrification was a success, and it is a success, with rail journeys to London now being reduced by an average of five to 10 minutes.

As I have said, in everything we do in Swindon we are a can-do economy. We find solutions to problems, we get on with the job and we often work so hard that we do not really signal our own qualities as well as we might do. Well, today, and in this bid, there is a chance for those qualities to be recognised.

Let me turn to the six selection criteria set out by the Government. I would argue that Swindon matches up magnificently to them all. First, there is:

“Alignment to Levelling Up objectives”.

Levelling up is not about simple geography; it is not about north, south, east and west. It is about disparities of income, disparities of opportunity and disparities in the quality of life. The Government have already acknowledged, through the towns fund initiative and the future high street initiative, which is benefiting Swindon, that the regeneration of our town centre is a key national priority. Siting the new Great British Railways headquarters right in the heart of the town, next to the railway and in buildings owned by Network Rail or the local authority, would entirely align with that objective. Moreover, it would align with the skills objective that is a key part of levelling up.

Recently, the Government made Swindon an education investment area, which means that we will get extra support to address the skills gap and the need to equip our young people for the jobs of the future. We are addressing those challenges by really focusing on science, technology, engineering and maths—STEM subjects—and technical education. The £21 million Swindon Institute of Technology, based in the town, provides technical qualifications and now offers higher apprenticeships for technical and digital roles. Right next to where the new headquarters could be is a university technical college, which was set up 10 years ago to provide youngsters from 14 to 19 with STEM skills and which provides particular apprenticeships to Network Rail. That is already happening, so we have a supply line of the talented young people that GBR will need if it is to survive.

I have mentioned training. We already have the £10 million state-of-the-art Network Rail Electrification Training Centre right next to the station in Swindon. There is so much going on—so much potential—and so much more to be done.

Rail Investment and Integrated Rail Plan

Mark Hendrick Excerpts

Wednesday 8th December 2021 Commons Chamber

[Sir Mark Hendrick (Preston) (Lab/Co-op)]

The north of England is the birthplace of the modern railway, with the first passenger services launching in the UK between Darlington and Stockton in 1825. The Liverpool and Manchester Railway, which opened in 1830, was the first modern railroad. Preston was an early adopter of railways, with the first station opening in 1838. Since the Victorian age, the north has lagged far behind the south in new railways and infrastructure. The existing infrastructure has reached capacity, but now demand continues to grow. A fast railway line would take northern England into the 21st century and help to level up the region, which continues to be the promise of this Government.

The case to have a high-speed railway running through the centre of Britain was first formally made by the Labour Government in 2010. It is not just about speed; capacity constraints are mainly at the heart of the strategic case for HS2 and north-south rail links in England. Rail capacity is dependent on two things: train capacity and route capacity. HS2 will improve transport times, create jobs and help the country’s economy while serving as a driver of growth in regional economies and creating opportunities for regeneration. Ultimately, the economic benefits will be worth the proposed costs.

The Government said that they wanted to deliver more frequent, more reliable and faster journeys between our major economic centres. Beyond the immediate transport concerns, the gap in productivity and economic growth between London and the south-east and the north was recognised in the strategic case for HS2, linking in with the Prime Minister’s ambitions to “level up the country”. In fact, the Government’s own national infrastructure strategy cites backing HS2 to deliver essential north-south connectivity as an example of how it is using infrastructure to unite and level up the UK.

[Sara Britcliffe (Hyndburn) (Con)]

rose—

[Sir Mark Hendrick]

I am sorry, but I want to save time for other speakers.

As recently as February 2021, the Prime Minister told MPs in the Chamber that the project was going ahead:

“I can certainly confirm that we are going to develop the eastern leg as well as the whole of the HS2.”—[Official Report, 10 February 2021; Vol. 689, c. 325.]

The Transport Secretary, who is not in his place, outlined his commitment to the project nearly seven months ago. Similarly, Northern Powerhouse Rail was supposed to deliver a new high-speed rail connection between Manchester and Leeds, Leeds and Birmingham and London and Birmingham in phase 1, due to open in 2029, thus linking England’s four largest urban areas with faster train services. Now the project’s proposed £34 billion budget is being slashed by half, so the trimmed-down initiative does not resemble the bold rethink of Britain’s rail system once promised. That has triggered widespread condemnation in the north, in both Labour and Conservative seats. The Lancashire local enterprise partnership believes that the productivity gains as a result of HS2 services to the area could help provide an extra £600 million for the region. HS2 will reinforce Preston’s position as a strategic rail hub. The Lancashire LEP has referred to Preston as the engine to establish an “arc of prosperity” running from Lancaster and through to Blackpool, Blackburn and Burnley, taking in Lancashire’s aerospace, energy, tourism and higher education sectors. In Preston itself, HS2 could mean 75,000 extra visitors a year.

The rhetoric has not matched the reality. The Government should deliver on their promises from three general elections. I urge the Government to rethink their plans.

Seaborne Freight

Mark Hendrick Excerpts

Tuesday 8th January 2019 Commons Chamber

[Chris Grayling]

Certainly one part of the no deal preparations that we are now going through—HMRC is very actively engaged in this—is about the declaration processes that businesses would need to go through. The reality is that this happens already. Goods are shipped from this country to Switzerland, for example, through established processes in this country and on the continent. We will need to ensure in the run-up to a no-deal Brexit that business is up to speed with what it needs to do. A huge amount of work in this respect is already happening.

[Sir Mark Hendrick (Preston) (Lab/Co-op)]

Things are getting bad when a former Conservative party chair accuses this Government of using Dr Strangelove tactics. This is a perfect example. Instead of trying to prepare for a no-deal scenario, why do the Government not just look at extending article 50 so that we can avoid this catastrophe?

[Chris Grayling]

Two things: first, I think it would be wrong to block Brexit. Secondly, I think it is right that the Government prepare for all eventualities. They would be accused of being irresponsible if they did not do so.

Exiting the EU and Transport

Mark Hendrick Excerpts

Wednesday 23rd November 2016 Commons Chamber

[Chris Grayling]

The hon. Gentleman mentions preparation, but the objective is very straightforward. It is in the interests of the different regions and countries of the European Union that we continue to trade and to have good transport links between us. I see no logical reason for anybody to stand in the way of that. We now have to work out what the best precise arrangements will be. When it comes to aviation, however, the objective is business as usual. That is what is in everyone’s interests.

[Mr Mark Hendrick (Preston) (Lab/Co-op)]

The Secretary of State refers to business as usual, but he will know that aviation emissions are now included in the EU emissions trading scheme. Is it his view that we should remain in a trading scheme once we leave the EU?

[Chris Grayling]

The world has moved on somewhat. The International Civil Aviation Organisation agreement that was reached in Montreal six weeks ago provides a global framework to tackle emissions in the aviation industry. All of us, both inside and outside the European Union, will be part of that as we ensure that the economies of the developed and the developing world can continue to benefit from improved aviation links while, at the same time, we meet our obligations to control carbon emissions.

The second area on which I am focusing is road haulage. We depend on road hauliers—without them, our shops would be empty and industry would grind to a halt. Our logistics industry does a first-class job in getting our goods to the right places, but the vast majority of lorries on the roads never leave the country. As we look to the future and to trade that does leave the country and crosses borders, there is one simple fact that we need to bear in mind. About 85% of the lorries operating between the United Kingdom and the continent belong to EU-owned businesses—international hauliers that are not based in this country.

The member states of the EU and the United Kingdom have a common interest in reaching an agreement. We need sensible arrangements for the future to allow goods to flow freely from and to the United Kingdom. We need to give UK hauliers a fair chance to win business and to be successful. We shall focus on that during the negotiations, ensuring that we achieve the right outcome for the international hauliers that serve this country and for UK hauliers as well. I am talking to all those who are involved in running our roads and the freight services that use them.

West Coast Main Line

Mark Hendrick Excerpts

Monday 17th September 2012 Westminster Hall

[Eric Ollerenshaw (Lancaster and Fleetwood) (Con)]

It is great to follow the hon. Member for Ynys Môn (Albert Owen). Across the divide, we share many concerns with other hon. Members who represent the regions, as I do. We have come from Liverpool via Milton Keynes, Runcorn, Rugby, and Holyhead to Lancaster, but I am not sure whether there is a through ticket for that; perhaps the two groups might suggest one.

[Philip Davies in the Chair]

I congratulate my fellow Lancastrian, the hon. Member for West Lancashire (Rosie Cooper) on getting the debate under way, but I have one stricture about her Dick Turpin analogy. I was always taught that, because he took from the rich and gave to the poor, he was a good guy. Never mind; perhaps history has changed since I last taught it.

I welcome the debate, and like many hon. Members with constituencies on the west coast main line, I have received e-mails about it and have seen the petition. All credit is due to the Backbench Business Committee for getting this debate under way so quickly. My concern, which is shared by others, is that regional areas such as mine depend hugely on rail connections. I will not repeat what the hon. Member for Ynys Môn said, but I share what he said about the impact on business and improvements on the west coast main line.

My confidence in the Department for Transport has increased following what has happened in the past two years, particularly in my part of the north-west. The Government have made commitment after commitment on rail in a way that we have not seen for a long time under previous Governments. They include electrification on a huge scale all the way to Blackpool and extra carriages, and that represents a total completion of the commitment on the northern hub. Before my time, people petitioned Government after Government on that. My confidence has increased, and I believe that the present Department for Transport is fully committed to those improvements and understands the impact on the regions. That is why I have a bit more confidence in the process.

My hon. Friend the Member for Milton Keynes South (Iain Stewart) spoke eloquently about commercial sensitivity. We have not seen all the minutiae, and we now have judicial sensitivity on top of commercial sensitivity, so we are left just with the bits that we have seen. Credit is due to the two companies for their impact and for trying to get across to us what has been going on.

Like many other hon. Members, I speak as a regular user of the west coast main line, and I have my own opinion of the Virgin Stagecoach service. I have seen an improvement in the service over the past couple of years. One of the worst problems in my part of the north-west was overcrowding, so I was pleased with the Government’s support for extra carriages, which has had an impact.

I believe that the Virgin Stagecoach service is relatively good, and many of my constituents have signed the petition, so they agree. However, I accept that it can always be improved and that we need more value for the amount of money that has gone into such commercial operations. The issue is how to weigh that up.

I have talked to FirstGroup, and its offer seems to be attractive, with extra trains, extra carriages, reduced overcrowding, smart ticketing and even reduced fares on some services. Like my hon. Friend the Member for Rugby (Mark Pawsey), I shall be parochial about what happens in my constituency. My concern about the FirstGroup bid was that it was talking about faster trains from Glasgow to London, and my immediate instinct was that that would mean fewer trains stopping at Lancaster, but I have been reassured that Lancaster will have the same number of stops, so I am pleased about that. I am also pleased about the offer to upgrade parking arrangements at Lancaster station and at Preston, which affects me down the line.

The biggest impact will be the through service to Blackpool, which edges through part of my constituency. Discussions are still taking place, but FirstGroup is prepared to consider the possibility of a stop at Poulton station, which is not in my constituency but is the nearest station to Fleetwood. I shall digress slightly because we have a new Transport Minister and, as his Parliamentary Private Secretary knows, he will hear from me frequently about Fleetwood, which is one of the 10 biggest towns in the country still without a direct rail connection.

[Mark Hendrick (Preston) (Lab/Co-op)]

The hon. Gentleman touched on Preston station, which is in my constituency. Like him, I am concerned about the developments. We have had an excellent service from Virgin, and I have been pleased with it. We have had many promises from FirstGroup, but does he agree that a major concern is whether jobs will be secure with FirstGroup if there is a change in the franchise? Clearly, the Government are intent on continuing the deal, and FirstGroup won the franchise, subject to the review. Is he, like me, worried about the job situation and ensuring that the hard-working staff continue in employment?

[Eric Ollerenshaw]

My neighbour in Lancashire raises a valid point about staff that had not previously been raised. There have been improvements in staff approachability and deliverability, and I hope that whoever wins the bid—whether Virgin or FirstGroup—will protect those good employees. I have seen real improvements.

Another matter that we need to be secure about if FirstGroup takes over is travel cards, about which constituents have contacted me. For many years, I have received promises, but I am still not sure about long-term use of the cards. Many senior constituents—I declare an interest because I include myself—find them extremely useful.

I will finish my contribution shortly to enable other hon. Members to speak. For me, the public relations battle has not been particularly useful. On the performance at the Transport Committee, Virgin tried to say that it provided an altruistic service, but it is, rightly and like any other commercial company, in it for money. In 2011, Virgin Rail and Stagecoach declared a dividend of around £10.5 million. That is good, because they ran a good service, but let us not hide the fact that they provide a commercial service at a profit.

I have an issue with Virgin because a year or so ago Grand Central proposed a direct service from London to Blackpool, and I understand that Virgin used its franchise to block that. Let us be under no illusions. The competition is a commercial one between two companies, and one of them is Virgin, but I call it Virgin Stagecoach because Stagecoach has a 49% stake. We must understand the situation.

When we are through the judicial review, I am sure that Ministers will provide us all with a degree of security that lessons have been learnt about private finance initiatives under the previous Government and about the way in which the upgrade on the west coast main line caused chaos for years under that same Government. Because of Ministers’ commitment to the north-west, electrification and the northern hub, I have great confidence that they are as determined as I am, as a regional Member of Parliament, to see an improved service that provides better value for my constituents. I feel that we will see that when the judicial battle is over.

At the end of the day, however, I am not interested in which company runs the service. I want a better deal for my constituents and for the Department to be able to put its hand on its heart and say that it did its best to deliver that deal and to provide security about the risks.

Oral Answers to Questions

Mark Hendrick Excerpts

Thursday 28th October 2010 Commons Chamber

[Norman Baker]

I am grateful to my hon. Friend for that question. She will know that we value cycling; it was set out in the coalition agreement that it is a priority for us in the Transport Department. It has a major role to play in tackling the reduction of carbon emissions in the short term through behavioural change. We have guaranteed that Bikeability will carry on and, as I said earlier, there is a pot of money—£560 million—in the local sustainable transport fund, much of which I am sure will be directed towards activities related to cycling.

[Mark Hendrick (Preston) (Lab/Co-op)]

T4. The Chancellor announced with a fanfare in the comprehensive spending review the modernisation and electrification of a number of lines up and down the country. Can the Secretary of State tell us when the electrification work on the Preston to Blackpool line will commence and when it will be completed?

[Mr Hammond]

I cannot give the hon. Gentleman a precise date now, but I am happy to talk to Network Rail about where that particular project lies in its current programme and get back to him.