Asked by: Shaun Davies (Labour - Telford)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether her Department has had recent discussions with relevant stakeholders on the construction of a new light rail line in Telford constituency.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department has not held any discussions on the opening of a new light rail line or tramway system in the Telford constituency.
Departmental officials have however held discussions with Telford Council, Transport Design International, Eversholt leasing and Network Rail on the proposed Greenway Initiative at Ironbridge Gorge. I understand the proposed scheme aims to use lightweight, battery powered ‘Revolution’ Very Light Rail trains to reopen 4 miles of disused heavy railway line.
The rail minister will write to you shortly following your request for a meeting on this scheme.
Asked by: Shaun Davies (Labour - Telford)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether her Department has had recent discussions with the owners of the M6 toll road on the potential merits of removing toll barriers.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
M6 Toll is a privately-owned asset. My Department is aware that Midland Expressway Limited (MEL), which is a private consortium responsible for building and operating the M6 toll road, has ambitions for removing toll barriers which would potentially require creating a specific legislation or amendment via regulation to existing PCN legislation. MEL may offer proposals that highlight the merits of removing toll barriers and meet the challenges of doing so.
Asked by: Shaun Davies (Labour - Telford)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much is the capital grant to Telford and Wrekin Council for (a) road and (b) pothole (i) repairs and (ii) improvements in each of the last six years.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Government takes the condition of local roads very seriously and is committed to maintaining and renewing the local highway network. DfT allocates capital funding to local highway authorities so they can most effectively spend it on maintaining and improving their respective networks, based upon their local knowledge, circumstances, and priorities.
Local highway authorities should consider all parts of the highway network as part of their highway asset management plans, such as bridges, cycleways, and lighting columns – not just the fixing of potholes. Funding allocations for local highway maintenance are published on gov.uk.
Telford and Wrekin Council, as a highway authority, has been allocated the following highway maintenance funding:
Year | Highways Maintenance funding for Telford and Wrekin Council |
2020/21 | £5,747,000 |
2021/22 | £4,311,000 |
2022/23 | £4,311,000 |
2023/24 | £5,625,400 |
2024/25 | £4,859,000 |
2025/26 | £7,164,000 |
To receive the full funding allocation in 2025/26, Telford and Wrekin will have to comply with the requirements announced by the Secretary of State in March 2025.
Asked by: Shaun Davies (Labour - Telford)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department is taking to improve rail infrastructure using dormant rail lines.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Government believes that local transport authorities are best placed to advocate for projects which will most benefit their local areas. The ultimate aim is to encourage strong business cases, which effectively identify the optimal transport solution, which support growth, more homes and increased job opportunities.
Asked by: Shaun Davies (Labour - Telford)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of initiatives to bring dormant rail lines into use.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Government believes that local transport authorities are best placed to advocate for projects which will most benefit their local areas. The ultimate aim is to encourage strong business cases, which effectively identify the optimal transport solution, which support growth, more homes and increased job opportunities.
Asked by: Shaun Davies (Labour - Telford)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the economic contribution of light railways.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Responsibility for light rail is devolved in England, where each local authority owns and is responsible for the operations and financial sustainability of its system.
The economic contribution of each scheme can vary significantly based on numerous factors, including specific project conditions and requirements, geography, urban density, and land values.
The Department will continue to work alongside local authorities to assess the economic contribution of light rail schemes.
Asked by: Shaun Davies (Labour - Telford)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department is taking to support light railway projects.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Responsibility for light rail is devolved in England, where each local authority owns and is responsible for the operations and financial sustainability of its system.
Future local transport funding is subject to the outcome of the upcoming Spending Review.
Asked by: Shaun Davies (Labour - Telford)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of a direct train services from Shropshire (via Telford) to London on economic growth; and what her planned timetable is for announcing a decision on the application for the new line between Wrexham General and London Euston (via Telford).
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department for Transport provided a response to the Office of Rail and road regarding the live Open Access application from Wrexham, Shropshire & Midlands Railway to operate services between Wrexham General and London Euston on 4 February 2025. This letter set out our broad support for the proposal. We note the benefits of improved connectivity that these services would bring to a number of communities, but access to the rail network is ultimately a decision for the regulator, who will weigh stakeholder views against statutory duties and publish its decision in due course.
Asked by: Shaun Davies (Labour - Telford)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the (a) average, (b) shortest and (c) longest wait was for determination of an application for a new rail line by a private operator for each year that records are available.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Access to the rail network is a matter for the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) in its capacity as independent regulator for the rail industry.
ORR have advised that since 2020, it has determined four applications for wholly new open access services. ORR rejected one and approved three. The time taken to go through the industry processes and reach a decision on these applications was as follows:
- Grand Union Trains (London – Stirling): 126 days
- Grand Union Trains Application 1 (London – Carmarthen): 281 days
- Grand Union Trains Application 2 (London – Carmarthen): 163 days
- Go-op: 783 days
The Go-op process involved significant changes to the application from the applicant over the course of two years. For all of these applications, ORR took decisions within 6 weeks of receiving all relevant information from the parties.
Asked by: Shaun Davies (Labour - Telford)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she has had recent discussions with the Office of Road and Rail on reducing decision making times on the introduction of new rail routes (a) to and from London, (b) between London and Wales and (c) between Shropshire and London.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Access to the rail network is a matter for the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) in its capacity as independent regulator for the rail industry. The Department works closely with both ORR and Network Rail to ensure that information to inform access decisions is provided in as timely a manner as possible, however it is important that decisions are fully considered and potential impacts to taxpayers, the efficient operation of the network, and to other operators are properly assessed.