Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when he plans to approve the Department for Transport component of the funding package for three new railway stations on the Camp Hill line; what financial contributions the project's partners will make; and what the timetable is for each partner signing off their final contributions.

I have previously written to the Mayor of the West Midlands confirming that the government is willing to support a contribution to the development of the three new stations mentioned in the question. This is subject to West Midlands Rail Executive providing a robust, value for money business case and agreeing a reliable timetable for operating the services with Network Rail. This work is currently underway, and an update from WMRE is expected this summer. The proposal will then need to be considered by myself and my colleagues at HM Treasury.