Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask His Majesty's Government what is the estimated cost of providing full electrification of the East West Rail route before it opens to traffic, compared with the estimated cost of providing full electrification five years after it opens.

As set out in East West Rail’s Spring 2026 consultation, the Government has committed to the discontinuous electrification of East West Rail, which involves a lower capital cost whilst minimising construction and environmental impacts.