Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the timetable is for the electrification of the TransPennine rail route between Leeds and Manchester.

The timetable for electrification of the　TransPennine line east of Stalybridge will be outlined in Sir Peter Hendy's re-planning proposals this autumn.　 Transpennine electrification remains a major part of our economic plan for the region, but it is vital that Network Rail gets this right.　As the Transport Secretary has already explained to MPs (Transport Select Committee evidence March 2015), this means the project will not be completed by 2019, as originally proposed. However, compromising on the scope of this project would not be in passengers’ best interests. That is why we continue to work with Network Rail on revised plans so that it delivers the best possible results.