Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to encourage more freight on to rail for efficiency and environmental reasons; and to improve Ely Junction to facilitate goods travelling by rail from east coast ports and elsewhere in the UK.

The Government is committed to growing rail freight to unlock the economic and environmental benefits it can deliver. We are undertaking a number of initiatives including setting a long-term growth target of increasing freight moved by rail by at least 75% by 2050, which was announced in December 2023, and a review of the Mode Shift Revenue Support scheme. Network Rail also continues to work closely with freight operators to improve performance and efficient use of the network.

The October 2023 Network North announcement confirmed Government’s support for the Ely Area Capacity Enhancement. The next stage of work for the scheme will involve detailed design work, development of a Full Business Case and beginning the process for securing delivery powers (for example, a Transport and Works Act Order).