Asked by Baroness Randerson To ask Her Majesty’s Government
what is their estimate of the final cost and timetable for
completing the electrification of the Great Western Main
Line. The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for
Transport (Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon) (Con) My Lords, in the
recent National Audit Office report, the...Request free trial
Asked by
-
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their estimate of
the final cost and timetable for completing the
electrification of the Great Western Main Line.
-
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for
Transport (Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon) (Con)
My Lords, in the recent National Audit Office report, the
total estimated cost of the Great Western route modernisation
programme was £5.58 billion. The timetable for the
remaining elements is due to be part of the planning
process for Control Period 6. The Government welcome the
Public Accounts Committee’s recommendation to reassess the
case for electrification by section and fund schemes only
where worthwhile benefits for passengers could not be
achieved otherwise at lower cost.
-
(LD)
My Lords, I hear the Minister clearly. I believe he is
telling us in clear terms that the Government do not intend
to complete the electrification of the Great Western Railway to Swansea.
If that is the case, please will he confirm that this
afternoon?
-
I thought I was pretty clear, but obviously not clear
enough for the noble Baroness. I said that some parts of
the electrification have been deferred to Control Period 6,
as she is aware. The Government will review the spending on
that to ensure the electrification on all remaining parts
that have been deferred is in the interests of customers.
The Cardiff to Swansea route that the noble Baroness
specifically mentioned will be subject to the next control
period—CP6.
-
(Con)
My Lords, the electrification of the east coast main line
route was completed in 1990. We are expecting a massive
investment by Virgin Trains East Coast by 2020. At the
moment, the line frequently fails. Does the noble Lord have
a timetable and an idea of the investment that is required,
and when Network Rail might carry out the investment
required to ensure that the investment that Virgin Trains
is making will be worth it?
-
We acknowledge the investment that rail companies are
making in rail services across the board. As regards my
noble friend’s specific question, she may well be aware
that Sir Peter Hendy was appointed to Network Rail
specifically to look at the rollout of the electrification
programme, which prioritised certain key investments. The
investments that are not made in CP5 will be part of the
consideration for the next control period.
-
(Lab)
My Lords, coming back to GWR, the Minister will be aware
that we in south-west Wales are very concerned about any
decision, on infrastructure or otherwise, that might harm
perceptions regarding the isolation of areas west of
Cardiff. We were promised a fixed completion date to
Swansea. Can he now undertake that he will try to expedite
that and give a fixed completion date for rail
electrification as far as Swansea?
-
The noble Lord is right to raise the issue of Swansea but I
believe I have already addressed that. It will be
considered as part of the CP6 expenditure. However, to put
this into context, £2.8 billion is specifically allocated
to the electrification of the Great Western line. We are talking
about 170 bridges, 1,500 sets of foundations, 14,000
overhead lines, 1,500 pieces of signalling equipment and 17
tunnels. Notwithstanding that, the Government are making
investments, as I am sure the noble Lord acknowledges. The
rollout of new rolling stock, which will start to be
applied to the line from the end of this year, will ensure
better and more efficient customer service across the whole
network.
-
(LD)
My Lords, the Great Western railway
electrification scheme was designed in the Department for
Transport; it was specified there and the trains were
ordered there. However, the new trains and the new system
will not provide a faster or better service than was the
case 40 years ago, when I was general manager at
Paddington. In future, will the Government look very
carefully at whether there are better design and
procurement methods to ensure that we get a scheme that
delivers benefits to passengers and saves the taxpayer
money?
-
I do not agree with the noble Lord’s premise. I believe
that the new rolling stock that I referred to will bring
passenger benefits. As I am sure he knows from his
experience in and vast knowledge of the area, the IEP
fleet, which is coming into service on the whole route,
will run in both diesel and electric modes. That will
provide flexibility in the delivery and appropriate
scheduling of the electrification programme, which I accept
is challenging.
-
(Con)
My Lords, although any initiative that allows faster travel
to Wales is to be welcomed, and we already have excellent
road, rail and air links to south Wales, does the Minister
agree that even greater commercial and cultural benefits
might be gained by improving road and rail travel from
north to south Wales?
-
I agree with my noble friend. As I am sure she is aware,
Wales will benefit to the tune of £2 billion from rail
modernisation. For her information, together with the Welsh
Government we have allocated a further £125 million to update
the initiative around the Valley Lines.
-
(Lab)
My Lords, is the Minister aware that this project started off
at £800 million and has now gone up to over £2 billion, £3
billion or maybe £4 billion, and that the same team
responsible for the pricing has been pricing phase 1 of HS2?
As he will know—I put it to him at the Committee stage of the
HS2 Bill—those costs will now be, in my estimation, £54
billion and not £24 billion. Is it not about time that we got
a grip on costs?
-
We had several meetings away from this Chamber about the
costs of HS2. As the noble Lord is fully aware, the experts
who are working on the modelling and pricing of HS2 are
meeting notable experts whom he himself put forward, and it
will be interesting to await the outcome of that meeting.
-
(Con)
My Lords, do the difficulties with electrification not show
the benefits of building a new line such as HS2?
-
I could not agree more with my noble friend.
-
(PC)
My Lords, does the Minister accept that, while it is vital
that the electrification goes as far as Swansea and indeed
beyond, there is an equally pressing case for electrification
of the north Wales line through to Holyhead? Does he accept
that that is important not only in respect of the local
benefits from Crewe to Holyhead but in respect of the main
line link through to Ireland, which has increasing importance
in the wake of Brexit? What will the Government do to
expedite that electrification?
-
The noble Lord raises a specific issue away from the line in
the Question. It is important to recognise that the
Government’s approach is that, where it will be of benefit to
the customer and the consumer, electrification will be
prioritised, and the Hendy review reflects that very
objective.
|
