Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the expected (1) timetable, and (2) programme, for the electrification of rail services in the North of England; and which railway lines they are considering for future electrification as part of (a) the Rail Network Enhancements Pipeline, (b) the Governance for Railway Investment Projects process, (c) the programme to reverse the Beeching cuts, or (d) any other programme.

The Government is committed to electrification where it delivers benefits for railway users, environmental benefits, and value for money. We have delivered hundreds of miles of electrification since 2010 and we continue to expand the electrified rail network. Electrification will play a significant role in our programme to achieve our Net Zero 2050 objective.

Network Rail is examining which parts of a decarbonised network will be most suited to electrification, and which to alternative technologies such as hydrogen and battery. We will consider the case for exploring some electrification schemes more quickly as this work progresses. The Department periodically publishes updates about schemes in the Rail Network Enhancements Pipeline.