Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment she has made of the potential merits of reopening closed passenger rail lines.

This Spending Review shows the government’s commitment to investment in the railways and in schemes that support economic growth. The settlement represents an increase in funding on what has been spent on rail enhancements in recent years. While some key schemes have already been referenced by the Chancellor, my officials are now working to confirm our wider portfolio of rail enhancements, which will be published as part of the government’s commitment to set out its overall infrastructure pipeline.

The Restoring Your Railway programme was closed by the government as announced by the Chancellor in July 2024 and currently has no plans to revisit this decision. Most of the Restoring Your Railway schemes that were announced by the previous government were unfunded, which is why the programme was closed.

It is possible that Local Transport Authorities may wish to press ahead with developing individual local rail enhancement projects for funding in the future as this government believes that local authorities are best placed to advocate for projects that will most benefit their local areas.

The aim is to encourage strong business cases that effectively identify the optimal transport solution supporting growth, more homes and increased job opportunities.