Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Vere of Norbiton on 5 June (HL15955), what is the estimated cost of the study by the CH2MC consortium comprising Jacobs, CPC Project Services LLP, GHD, Poise and Gardiner & Theobald; whether its geographical scope in terms of (1) timetabling, (2) programme, (3) capital costs, and (4) benefits for all works necessary, extends from at least east of Leeds to the west of the West Coast Main Line; what is the scope of work of each of the above members of the consortium; when is the consortium expected to report; and whether that report will be published.
The work commissioned to date on transpennine rail freight demand and the review of the costs of creating a freight and passenger route via Skipton-Colne has an estimated cost of around £100,000. The anticipated broad division of that work is that project management will be lead by CPC; cost challenge will be lead by Jacobs, GHD and Gardiner and Theobald; and work on freight demand will be led by Jacobs, GHD and MDS Transmodal (subcontractor).
The geographical scope of the work will cover at least the area indicated by the noble Lord as its purpose is to assess whether reinstatement of a rail route via Skipton-Colne is part of the right long term solution for transpennine rail traffic. The work is expected to report later this year.
As indicated in response to a question from Lord Greaves (HL13163), we will publish the results of feasibility work on the Skipton-Colne scheme when this next phase is complete and we understand the full picture.