Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the letter from the Minister of State for Transport to Sara Britcliffe MP on 6 May (ref MC/288646), whether the Further Feasibility Work announced in January has (1) been completed in both Phases, and (2) presented in a full report to ministers; and whether they intend to publish both that report, and the Steer Group report that was delivered to Ministers in December 2018 on the potential reopening of the Colne-Skipton railway line.

The further feasibility work on Skipton-Colne reinstatement and trans-Pennine freight strategy commissioned last year has now been completed and Ministers have received advice on its findings. The Government intends to publish the reports produced, including the earlier reports completed in 2018, alongside decisions on next steps as previously indicated (HL37, 7 January 2020).