Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 16 March (HL5882), in the light of the very heavy use that is made of the East Coast Main Line and the fragility of the infrastructure, whether they consider that four per cent of the enhancement spend in Control Period 6 is adequate to sustain this railway line.

This government set out ambitious outcomes for the East Coast Main Line as part of the 2012 High Level Output Specification. The East Coast Main Line infrastructure enhancements will enable capacity for an additional 2 additional trains per hour between Kings Cross and Doncaster and an additional train per hour between York and Newcastle. The enhancements also enable the introduction of the new Intercity Express Programme trains which will increase reliability, seating capacity and reduce journey times, allowing the fastest services to achieve 4 hours from London to Edinburgh and 2 hours from London to Leeds. The first of these enhancements, the opening of a new platform at Doncaster, has already been delivered.