Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of (a) electrifying the main railway line between Bristol and Birmingham and (b) connecting Britsol to the HS2 terminus under construction at Birmingham Curzon Street.

a) Further electrification of the rail network will play an important role in achieving net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. Electrification schemes will be developed through the Rail Network Enhancements Pipeline (RNEP) to ensure that they represent value for money and can be delivered in a sustainable way.

b) The Midlands Rail Hub programme, currently under development, maximises the opportunities of HS2 by allowing trains from the southwest of Birmingham (including Bristol) to use Moor Street Station.

Moor Street Station is adjacent to the HS2 Birmingham Station at Curzon Street and convenient interchange is proposed between the two.