Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of additional dedicated cross-Pennine rail freight capacity to support ports (a) in the Humber Estuary and (b) on the east coast of England, including Immingham.

Analysis undertaken to develop the TransPennine Route Upgrade suggests there could be strong potential for new rail freight capacity from both east and west coast ports to inland terminals. Work to develop options for investment, in conjunction with the rail freight sector, is on-going. Such freight flows could lead to environmental and social benefits, such as reducing carbon emissions and road congestion by removing the requirement for large numbers of lorries on cross-Pennine roads. Decisions will be taken in time to allow integration of any suitable projects into the existing TransPennine Route Upgrade programme.