Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what proposals are set out in the Autumn Statement for increased spending on transport schemes in Lancashire; and whether they include improvements to the railway between Preston and Colne such as the construction of a passing loop on the 11-mile single-track siding between Gannow Junction and Colne.

The Autumn Statement provided an additional £2.3 billion for transport including: £1.1 billion for the local road network and £220 million to relieve congestion on the strategic road network; £150m for flood resilience activity; £80m to accelerate the rollout of Smart Ticketing; £390m for future transport technologies such as low emission and connected autonomous vehicles; and £450 million to trial digital signalling technology on the rail network to help improve reliability. We will announce in due course how this money will be spent, but it is likely to include investment in Lancashire.

There were no specific provisions in the Autumn Statement for improvements to the railway between Preston and Colne. However, as part of our commitment to transport investment to build the Northern Powerhouse, passengers travelling on that line will get a full hourly Sunday service – twice as many trains on Sunday compared to now, and with the entire Northern fleet being refurbished, passengers will notice rolling stock improvements across the franchise. Beyond that there is a franchise wide, £38m investment in bringing stations up to standard, with benefits for many stations including new platform seating, replacement shelters, new waiting rooms and toilets, and customer information screens.

Next year the Government will set out its priorities for investment in railway services and infrastructure in the next railway Control Period (2019-2024). This will be informed by advice from the industry, Transport for the North and other stakeholders.