Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the Spring Statement of 13 March 2019, Official Report, volume 656, column 372, what recent discussions he has held with the Secretary of State for Transport on future investment in the East Coast Main Line.

The Chancellor holds regular bilateral meetings with the Secretary of State for Transport where they discuss a range of issues. With regards to facilitating greater transport connections for regions north of York, a £780m fund was made available in July 2018 for major upgrades. A significant proportion of this will fund power supply upgrades between Doncaster and Edinburgh. When combined with the new Intercity Express Trains, this will provide passengers with more seats as well as faster, more frequent journeys on the line.