Clause 23
Crossrail Bill
2:30 pm
Brian Binley (Northampton South, Conservative)
The Minister knows that considerable concern was expressed by the freight industry about the impact of Crossrail services on line time. There are fears that freight will have diminished time as a result. We had some very sizeable discussions in that respect. I need the Minister’s reassurance, because it seems to me that subsection (5) says that if there is a clash of interests on line time between Crossrail and freight services, the Secretary of State can overrule the ORR and say that Crossrail is a priority and that freight must therefore take another hit. I am not saying that he will say that, but it could happen because of the words
“with the consent of the Secretary of State”.
Am I totally wrong in that belief? Will the Minister reassure me that that is the case?