Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when he plans for electrification of the Lakes Line from Oxenholme Lake District to Windermere to be completed.

The Hendy Review made provision for the Oxenholme to Windermere electrification scheme to be developed, with a target of March 2017 for selection of a single priced option. Network Rail indicated that the estimated cost to deliver the scheme has risen. In the light of this, Network Rail has been asked to undertake a value management exercise to try to bring costs back in line with the original estimates. As a result of this investigation to bring down costs, the completion of the single option selection will be later than the published indicative date.