Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to connect more towns to the railway network.

As part of the levelling-up agenda, the Government announced the £500 million Restoring Your Railway fund in January to deliver its manifesto commitment and start reopening lines and stations, including connecting towns to the railway network. This year we have announced development funding for 25 proposals. This Restoring Your Railways expenditure is included as part of our continued significant investment in the rail network.