Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans he has to help improve (a) resilience, (b) capacity and (c) journey times on the East Coast Main Line between York and Newcastle; and if he will make a statement.

The Department is investing up to £780m in Control Period 6 to upgrade the East Coast Main Line. In conjunction with the introduction of new fleets of trains for both London North Eastern Railway and TransPenninne Express, this will improve capacity and journey times along the length of the Line. The Department continues to work with Transport for the North to identify and assess further potential enhancements between York and Newcastle. The Statement of Funds Available that was announced on 12 October 2017 focusses on the operation, maintenance and renewal of the railway to improve reliability. Network Rail’s Strategic Business Plan 2019 to 2024 for the London North Eastern and East Midlands Route explains how this investment will be used to improve the resilience of the East Coast Main Line.