Former Conservative MP for Bexhill and Battle
With the leave of the House, I commend the motion to the House. As I said earlier, today’s debate marks an important step forward in improving travel in the north, and I thank all right hon. and hon. Friends and Members for their input. In the time I have, I will try to address as many of the contributions made as possible. Colleagues from across the House made important points, which I...
I will not take any interventions because of time. Let me touch on some of the other points raised. In reply to my hon. Friend the Member for Stoke-on-Trent South, just to be absolutely clear, the original instruction for the Select Committee was to consider HS2 phase 2b and Northern Powerhouse Rail, as was debated at length in June 2022, and I believe that was the mandate given. It was never...
I beg to move, That it be an instruction to the Select Committee to which the High Speed Rail (Crewe - Manchester) Bill is committed to deal with the Bill as follows: (1) The Committee shall, before concluding its proceedings, amend the Bill by— (a) leaving out provision relating to a railway between a junction with Phase 2a of High Speed 2 south of Crewe in Cheshire and a point in the...
The motion instructs the High Speed Rail (Crewe – Manchester) Bill Select Committee to resume its work of scrutinising the Bill. To put it simply, the Bill was always going to cover the 15 miles that form the key backbone of Northern Powerhouse Rail, and the motion asks the Committee to continue its work of scrutinising the Bill to deliver this first section of the Liverpool to Manchester...
I had not really started the eulogy yet, but I do believe this is the right vehicle. The Select Committee on the Bill had already been set up, and it was set up to look at not just HS2 phase 2b, but Northern Powerhouse Rail. It was always on that basis that it was formed, so it makes sense to repurpose the Committee to allow it to continue to work on the one aspect that continues, and to take...
My right hon. Friend obviously believes the point he makes, but almost two years ago—I think it was back in June 2022—after Second Reading, this House passed the motion that has allowed the Select Committee to sit, and its remit was to look at phase 2b and also Northern Powerhouse Rail. By definition, we are looking to strip out the elements that are no longer relevant because HS2 phase...
The route selected as the preferred route, which the Bill Committee was tasked with hearing petitions on, remains exactly the same route as was previously identified. With respect, I contend that the Committee has already started its journey. It has already received petitions from those who feel they are affected by this issue, and I contend that that is the right vehicle. I have said warm...
To be clear, I give a commitment that HS2 will not be going through my hon. Friend’s constituency, and therefore any petitions that were going to be relevant should lapse. This is a matter for the Bill Committee, but that would be the logical extension. Any petitions already made on this 15-mile stretch, which will continue to be within the remit because it continues to be the preferred...
Network Rail has Key Performance Indicators in its key labour contracts which measure the use of zero-hour contracts and encourages their reduction.
We are continuing to work closely with the rail industry to develop the Government priorities outlined in the Prime Minister’s Network North announcement, which includes an unprecedented £1 billion investment to fund the electrification of the North Wales Main Line. In February, the Transport Secretary hosted a meeting with local leaders in North Wales to discuss how HS2 savings will be...
Under Network North, it was announced that the Oswestry to Gobowen line Restoring Your Railway scheme would progress to delivery, subject to successful business cases. Progress is being made with Network Rail and others on next steps, including on a schedule for development work and costs. The Department expects that such development work will begin in the coming months.
As part of our recent Network North announcement, the Government confirmed £350m will be made available to improve the accessibility of our train stations. We are assessing over 300 nominations for Access for All funding. At stations awarded funding this will create an obstacle free, accessible route from the station entrance to platforms. Successful nominations will be announced in due course.
The Government is reforming the railways to ensure they are fit for the 21st century. Central to this is the establishment of Great British Railways (GBR). The legislation needed to establish Great British Railways is currently undergoing pre-legislative scrutiny and we have published the Government’s response to the legislation consultation. Once established, GBR will bring infrastructure,...
In general under the Department’s National Rail Contracts and Service Contracts, wifi quality standards are for train operators to determine. In 2020, the Department commissioned Transport Focus to undertake research of the availability and quality of internet and voice connectivity available to passengers. This provided a snapshot of the comparative performance. The choice of mobile...
Ticket offices already accept multiple forms of payments including cash and some Ticket Vending Machines also accept cash. We will ensure that all passengers are able to continue to use cash to purchase tickets as work to modernise the retail and passenger experience at stations continues.
The Government expects electrification to play an important role in our programme to achieve our Net Zero 2050 target, which is why since 2010, more than 1,250 miles of electrification has been delivered in Great Britain, including over 900 miles in England and Wales in the last 11 years. Alternative traction technologies, such as battery trains, will also play a key role in our approach to...
