Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have asked Transport for the North to delay the publication of their business case for (1) a high-speed railway route between Hull and Liverpool, or (2) part of that route; and, if so, why.

The Department has asked Transport for the North to submit the Strategic Outline Case for Northern Powerhouse Rail after the Integrated Rail Plan is published. A Strategic Outline Case which is consistent with the Government’s policy and funding framework, to be set out in the Integrated Rail Plan, will allow a more rapid alignment around single route options and quicker progress than envisaged in previous plans.