Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Sugg on 11 February (HL13163), what was the cost of the feasibility study into the creation of a new trans-Pennine freight railway line including the reinstatement of the Colne-Skipton line, that was announced by Chris Grayling on 3 February 2018; what is the estimated cost of the further work that is “still in progress” in order to “assess further the freight demand and commercial viability of the scheme”; and whether they will publish the terms of reference for this further work

As part of the normal course of business, feasibility studies will be carried out into various potential rail upgrade projects. The total cost of the studies carried out by Network Rail and the Department’s consultants (Steer) to assess the feasibility, costs and benefits for reinstating the Skipton-Colne line for passengers and freight, a project championed by Andrew Stephenson MP, the Hon Member for Pendle, as part of a new Trans-Pennine rail route was £210,360.

Further feasibility work to confirm whether this scheme can be made affordable, will attract sufficient traffic, and is part of the right long-term solution for trans-Pennine rail traffic will be commissioned by the Department for Transport working closely with Transport for the North. It will be funded from the Department’s existing resources. The scope and cost is yet to be determined.