Asked by: Tom Hunt (Conservative - Ipswich)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what his planned timetable is for the reallocation of HS2 funding to Network Rail for upgrading (a) Haughley and (b) Ely junctions.
Answered by Huw Merriman - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
The Prime Minister's Network North announcement confirmed government support for the Ely Area Capacity Enhancement and upgrades to Haughley Junction. My officials have been engaging with their counterparts at Network Rail to consider next steps in progressing these important schemes and an update on next steps will be provided in due course.
Asked by: Tom Hunt (Conservative - Ipswich)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what his planned timetable is for the commencement of works upgrading (a) Haughley and (b) Ely junctions.
Answered by Huw Merriman - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
The Prime Minister's Network North announcement confirmed government support for the Ely Area Capacity Enhancement and upgrades to Haughley Junction. My officials have been engaging with their counterparts at Network Rail to consider next steps in progressing these important schemes and an update on next steps will be provided in due course.
Asked by: Tom Hunt (Conservative - Ipswich)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent discussions he has had with Network Rail on upgrading (a) Haughley and (b) Ely junctions.
Answered by Huw Merriman - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
The Prime Minister's Network North announcement confirmed government support for the Ely Area Capacity Enhancement and upgrades to Haughley Junction. My officials have been engaging with their counterparts at Network Rail to consider next steps in progressing these important schemes and an update on next steps will be provided in due course.
Asked by: Tom Hunt (Conservative - Ipswich)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department plans to expedite delivery of the Haughley Junction rail project, north of Stowmarket.
Answered by Huw Merriman - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
We are currently considering next steps for the delivery of the Ely Area Capacity Enhancements (EACE) and Haughley junction upgrade rail projects. All schemes will be subject to the development and approval of business cases and will undergo all formal governance, in line with relevant fiscal and legal duties. We are working with Network Rail on next steps and will update stakeholders in due course.
Asked by: Tom Hunt (Conservative - Ipswich)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the announcement that the Ely Junction and Haughley Junction rail projects will receive Government funding, what the timescales are for the delivery of each project.
Answered by Huw Merriman - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
We have committed to Ely as part of £36bn Network North programme. We are currently considering next steps for the delivery of the Ely Area Capacity Enhancements (EACE) and Haughley junction upgrade rail projects. All schemes will be subject to the development and approval of business cases and will undergo all formal governance, in line with relevant fiscal and legal duties. We are working with Network Rail on next steps and will update stakeholders in due course.
Asked by: Tom Hunt (Conservative - Ipswich)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make an assessment of the potential benefits to passenger services in Ipswich of the upgrade of (a) Ely Junction and (b) Haughley Junction.
Answered by Huw Merriman - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
The Ely Area Capacity Enhancements (EACE) scheme would create capacity to increase trains through the Ely ‘bottle neck’ from 6.5 per hour to 10 trains per hour, doubling passenger services on the Ely-King’s Lynn and Ipswich-Peterborough routes. We anticipate that the EACE scheme will take 98,000 lorry journeys off roads every year, improving road safety and reducing road congestion.
Asked by: Tom Hunt (Conservative - Ipswich)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the potential benefits to road users in (a) Ipswich and (b) Suffolk of the upgrading of (i) Ely North Junction and (ii) Haughley Junction.
Answered by Huw Merriman - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
The Ely Area Capacity Enhancements (EACE) scheme would increase freight train capacity into the port of Felixstowe from 36 to 42 trains per day, as well as increasing passenger service capacity. This is the equivalent of 98,000 lorry journeys every year, which would improve road safety and reduce road congestion.
Asked by: Tom Hunt (Conservative - Ipswich)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of train station ticket office closures on passengers in Ipswich constituency.
Answered by Huw Merriman - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
Under the Ticketing and Settlement Agreement, when proposing major changes to ticket office opening hours (including closures) operators are required, amongst other things, to take into account the adequacy of the proposed alternatives in relation to the needs of passengers. We would also expect operators to consider equality related needs of passengers and make this clear in the notice sent to other operators and passenger groups.
Together with the rail industry, we want to improve and modernise the passenger experience by moving staff out from ticket offices to provide more help and advice in customer focused roles. No currently staffed station will be unstaffed as a result of industry changes. Train operators will ensure staff are well located to meet passenger needs in future.
Asked by: Tom Hunt (Conservative - Ipswich)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to (a) improve road quality and (b) reduce the number of potholes.
Answered by Richard Holden - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)
The Government is investing more than £5.5 billion between 2020 and 2025 into local highways maintenance, which is enough to fill millions of potholes, repair dozens of bridges, and resurface roads up and down the country. It is up to local authorities to determine how best to spend this funding, based on local needs and priorities. Well-planned maintenance to prevent potholes and other defects from forming in the first place is vital, and the Department has worked with groups including the UK Roads Leadership Group and the Association of Directors, for Environment, Economy, Planning and Transport (ADEPT) to raise standards and encourage good practice in highway maintenance.
In 2019, Government provided £22.9 million into the ADEPT Live Labs programme, empowering local authorities to drive innovation, use new materials, and create new techniques for highways that can be deployed throughout the country’s local road network. This research programme concluded in June 2022.
Based on the success of this previous programme, Government is now supporting a second round of Live Labs (‘Live Labs 2’). The Government has provided £30 million for seven carbon and climate change-related projects working across four interconnected thematic areas including a UK centre of excellence for materials. These are being led by local authorities working alongside commercial and academic partners.
Asked by: Tom Hunt (Conservative - Ipswich)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to help improve bus services in Suffolk.
Answered by Richard Holden - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)
The Government pays over £200 million directly to bus operators every year through the Bus Service Operators Grant (BSOG) to help keep fares down and maintain a larger network than would otherwise be possible. The Government also provides £42 million annually in BSOG funding to Local Transport Authorities, of which Suffolk County Council receives almost £615,000, to fund socially necessary bus services.
Since 1 January, the majority of single bus journeys in England outside London have been capped at £2 thanks to Government support via the Bus Fare Cap Grant. The initial phase of the scheme, through to 31 March, is backed by up to £60 million. On 17 February, we announced that we will provide up to £75 million to extend the £2 bus fare cap until 30 June 2023
This takes total Government funding to over £2 billion in emergency and recovery funding to Local Transport Authorities and bus operators since March 2020, of which Suffolk County Council has been allocated over £5 million. This is in addition to the funding we have provided directly to bus operators to maintain bus services through this route.
Suffolk County Council has also been allocated £824,737 in capacity and capability funding for bus service improvements for the period 2021/22 to 2024/25. This funding is intended to support them with employing dedicated resource for the next three years to help deliver their Bus Service Improvement Plans and Enhanced Partnerships.