29.04.16
Rail minister dodges Hull to Selby electrification progress question
The fate of the Hull to Selby electrification project is still unknown after Claire Perry, under-secretary to the Department for Transport, refused to answer local MPs’ questions about it.
During Perry’s appearance before the House of Commons, Diana Johnson, the Labour MP for Kingston-upon-Hull, asked why the department had made no progress on the privately-funded £100m scheme in the past two years despite committing to much more expensive schemes that will mainly benefit the south of England, such as Crossrail 2.
Johnson asked: “If [Perry] is really serious about the northern powerhouse, why can she not get a wriggle on and get this privately financed scheme to happen?”
Perry did not answer the question, instead joking that Johnson’s use of ‘wriggle’ was “Humberside for a wiggle” and pointing to existing commitments the government had made to railways in the north, including the new franchise with Arriva and £1.4m investment in Hull’s station before it becomes the UK city of culture next year.
John Pugh, Liberal Democrat MP for Southport, asked why the Southport to Manchester line had been prioritised for electrification but Southport might lose a direct link to Manchester Piccadilly.
Perry said she didn’t know the answer and would get back to him. The rail minister also said that the current government have electrified almost as many miles of track in the past six years as the previous government did in 13.
The Greater Manchester Combined Authority will discuss a report raising concerns about ongoing delays to the TransPennine electrification project at its meeting today.
The Rail Delivery Group said in their latest rolling stock strategy that an ongoing electrification project is vital to accommodate the expected massive growth of the UK’s rail fleet.
In the April/May edition of RTM, which will be hitting desks shortly, we interviewed Will Dunnett, managing director at Hull Trains, who discussed the need to deliver the Hull to Selby electrification by at least 2024, if not before.
(Image c. Joshua Brown)