Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the potential merits of extending the Tyne and Wear Metro to Doxford International Business Park in Sunderland.

As part of its Continuous Modular Strategic Planning work on long term strategy for the rail network, Network Rail is assessing what is required to make sure that the rail network between York and Newcastle meets the needs of passengers and freight users in the coming decades. This study is considering the potential role of reinstatement of the Leamside line in meeting those needs, including for local connectivity through extension of the Tyne and Wear local conventional rail or Metro network. It will make recommendations for further option development.