Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of the West Coast Main Line upgrade between Warrington and Carlisle on services between north Wales and London.

This investment in renewing and upgrading rail infrastructure is critical to meeting current and future needs of communities along the West Coast Main Line. The Department expects operators to minimise the impact of planned engineering works on passengers as far as possible.

It is expected that route blockades to facilitate these essential works will span a number of years, and it is possible there could be some disruption on parts of the route away from the works, including in north Wales. However, the specifics in terms of effect on passenger services are yet to be agreed between Network Rail and Train Operating Companies. Therefore, the Department is not yet able to assess the full impact on passengers during the work.

Network Rail and relevant Train Operating Companies will keep passengers informed closer to the dates when they are agreed.