Asked by: Rob Roberts (Independent - Delyn)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the oral contribution of 20 April 2023 by the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transport, Official Report, column 366, what estimate he has made of the timescale for the electrification of the north Wales Mainline.
Answered by Huw Merriman - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
In the Transport Decarbonisation Plan the government committed to deliver a net zero rail network by 2050. To do so we will electrify additional lines and deploy battery and hydrogen trains on lines where it makes economic and operational sense.
In relation to individual railway routes, the Great British Railways Transition Team will bring forward costed decarbonisation options for Government to carefully consider in terms of overall deliverability and affordability. No decision has yet been taken on the North Wales Mainline.
Asked by: Rob Roberts (Independent - Delyn)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much has been spent on heavy rail infrastructure in (a) England and (b) Wales in each of the last five years up to and including the 2022-23 financial year.
Answered by Huw Merriman - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
Between 2018-19 and 2021-22, £46.7bn was invested on High Speed Two infrastructure; Network Rail Operations, Maintenance and Renewals; and the Rail Network Enhancements Portfolio. Figures are sourced from DfT and NR published accounts and Network Rail reporting is consolidated for England and Wales. By its nature, expenditure on the railway in any one particular part of the country is likely to also benefit passengers from outside that immediate area who use that railway.
An annual breakdown is included in the table below:
2018-19 | 2019-20 | 2020-21 | 2021-22 |
10.3 | 10.0 | 12.0 | 14.4 |
*Figures are in £billions, in nominal prices
** Rail Network Enhancements Portfolio figures do not include 3rd party-funded delivery
*** 2022-23 outturn data is provisional and excluded
Asked by: Rob Roberts (Independent - Delyn)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on implementing the recommendations of the Union Connectivity Review.
Answered by Richard Holden - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)
The Secretary of State for Transport, Department for Transport officials and I have regular discussions with colleagues across Government about Lord Hendy’s of Richmond Hill’s independent Union Connectivity Review. We are engaging with the devolved administrations and with other stakeholders to consider his recommendations and will publish our response as soon as is practicable.
I also recently made visits across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland to meet with key stakeholders and visit a wide variety of transport connectivity projects.
Asked by: Rob Roberts (Independent - Delyn)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent steps she has taken to increase (a) the number of driving instructors and (b) practical driving test availability.
Answered by Katherine Fletcher
The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) licenses approved driving instructors for them to provide paid tuition.
To help increase practical driving test availability, the DVSA is recruiting more than 300 driving examiners across Great Britain. The DVSA’s examiner recruitment campaigns continue to be successful but, like many employers, the DVSA is finding the job market extremely competitive. As it moves through each recruitment campaign, the DVSA will continually review and make changes and improvements to its recruitment and selection process, and training courses.
The DVSA is working hard to provide as many practical driving test appointments as it can, with several measures in place to do this.
These include:
Asked by: Rob Roberts (Independent - Delyn)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans he has to electrify the entirety of the North Wales train line.
Answered by Chris Heaton-Harris - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
There are currently no plans to electrify the North Wales Coast Line.
The Department has funded extensive development work, through a series of Strategic Outline Business Cases (SOBCs) announced at the Autumn 2017 Budget, to identify where further investment into the Welsh rail network could make a real difference to the people and economy of Wales. Based on the findings of the SOBCs, we are taking enhancement proposals, including journey time improvements along the North Wales Coast Main Line between Llandudno and Chester, through the Rail Network Enhancement Pipeline (RNEP), subject to a better understanding and assurance of likely costs.
In addition, the Network Rail-led Traction Decarbonisation Network Strategy is developing costed options about the use of electrification and new technologies. This work is a priority for the Department and for Network Rail. It will conclude this year to inform Government decisions about the scale and pace of further rail decarbonisation as part of our Transport Decarbonisation Plan.
Asked by: Rob Roberts (Independent - Delyn)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans he has for Crewe to be added to the High Speed Two line upon completion of existing plans.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Crewe is already a hub on the existing rail network and current plans will see passengers benefitting from an HS2 interchange, with shorter journey times to London and improved cross-country connectivity.
The Government response to the Crewe Hub consultation confirmed its support for the ‘Crewe Hub’ vision, with up to 5-7 HS2 trains per hour stopping. We continue to work with Network Rail, HS2 and local partners towards realising this vision.
Asked by: Rob Roberts (Independent - Delyn)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans he has to electrify the Shrewsbury to Chester via Wrexham route.
Answered by Chris Heaton-Harris - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
Since 2010 we have delivered significant electrification to the rail network, delivering benefits for rail users and helping reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
The Network Rail-led Traction Decarbonisation Network Strategy is currently examining whether electrification or new technologies are the better option where diesel trains currently run. This work, which will conclude this year, will inform decisions about electrification or use of new technologies on all parts of the network.
Asked by: Rob Roberts (Independent - Delyn)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans he has to ensure better connectivity along the North Wales to Chester train line.
Answered by Chris Heaton-Harris - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
The Department has funded extensive development work, through a series of Strategic Outline Business Cases (SOBCs) announced at the Autumn 2017 Budget, to identify where further investment into the Welsh rail network could make a real difference to the people and economy of Wales. Based on the findings of the SOBCs, we are taking enhancement proposals, including journey time improvements along the North Wales Coast Main Line between Llandudno and Chester, through the Rail Network Enhancement Pipeline (RNEP), subject to a better understanding and assurance of likely costs.
Asked by: Rob Roberts (Independent - Delyn)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans he has to improve the connectivity along the Chester to Crewe train line.
Answered by Chris Heaton-Harris - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
As part of its Continuous Modular Strategic Planning work on long term strategy for the rail network, Network Rail is currently developing a proposal to assess what is required to support future rail enhancements planned for the West and Wales area, focusing on the railway hubs of Crewe, Chester and Warrington.