Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether steel produced in Britain will be used for the electrification of the Manchester to Blackpool train route.

The electrification of the Manchester to Blackpool train route is still in the design phase and the steel has not yet been purchased.

Network Rail already sources 95% of its steel rail from the UK. Steel for electrification projects has typically been procured by principal contractors from a variety of sources, but Network Rail is currently seeking to aggregate volumes wherever possible and procure materials directly. Total forecast requirement of steel for electrification projects is forecast to be around 175k tonnes over the next 6 years. Network Rail’s strategy is to source this from the UK wherever possible, and the electrification of the Manchester to Blackpool train route will also be in accordance with this.