MP has been recalled to the
Transport Committee to give further evidence on cancelled rail
electrification schemes.
On 22 January, the Secretary of State will have an opportunity to
produce the information previously requested by the Committee,
explain his responses to requests for further information from
the Committee, and outline the reasoning that underpins his
decision to replace three rail electrification schemes with
bi-mode trains.
In July, the Secretary of State announced that bi-mode trains
would be used instead of rail electrification schemes on three
lines:
-
Midland Mainline (MML), north of Kettering to Sheffield and
Nottingham
- Great
Western Mainline (GWML), west of Cardiff
- And on
the Lakes Line (LL) between Windermere and Oxenholme.
The Secretary of State was questioned about the decision during
his evidence before the Committee on 16 October. He undertook to
provide further information on the benefit costs ratios (BCRs)
for the three proposed schemes. The Committee has published its
correspondence with the Secretary of State; it has not been given
all the information it requested.
In the meantime, the Department for Transport released documents,
in response to a request under the Freedom of Information Act,
that showed, in the context of the MML scheme, that bi-modes are
substantially costlier to run.
The Chair of the Transport Select Committee, MP, said:
"Being accountable to Parliament means ministers must explain and
justify the decisions they take. I am pleased that the Secretary
of State will appear before the Transport Committee again in
January and I hope that after this session we will better
understand his decision to cancel planned rail electrification
schemes. The choices the Government have made lock us into a mode
of operation that will persist for many years and we need to test
and challenge their position to ensure it is robust."
Further information:
July 2017:
Secretary of State’s decision
announced
September 2017: Department
release Midland Mainline Upgrade Programme: Economic Case,
prepared by Atkins for the Department for Transport, 28 September
2016, and Business case for rolling stock on the east midlands
franchise, February 2017, in response to freedom of information
request (Response F0015020 – see DfT disclosure log)
16 October
2017: Transcript of the
Secretary of State’s evidence session
17 October
2017: Chair writes to set out
the information required
25 October 2017: Secretary of State
response published
2 November 2017: Chair writes to Secretary
of State again to seek further information
29 November 2017: Secretary of State's
second response published
