Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what cost-benefit analysis they have made of (1) the access improvements to London King's Cross Railway Station, (2) the rail modifications at Werrington Junction, and (3) the upgrading of the power supplies on the East Coast Main Line, with particular reference to journey times.

Cost-benefit analysis of the individual upgrades has not been made. However, an assessment of the wider package of enhancements on the East Coast Mainline (ECML), of which the improvements at King’s Cross and Werrington and the power supply upgrades are contributary components, was conducted in 2018. This presented a benefit-cost ratio (BCR) of 3.6. This BCR will be reappraised once the content of the new ECML timetable, planned for introduction in May 2022, has been finalised.

This major timetable uplift will provide faster journey times across the route, with improvements of 15 minutes between London and Edinburgh, and 5 minutes between London and Leeds.