Skip to main content

Written question asked by Lord Bradshaw (Liberal Democrat), in the House of Lords. It was answered by Lord Bassam of Brighton (Labour) on Tuesday, 29 January 2008.


Railways: Electrification

Question
asked Her Majesty's Government:Further to the Written Answer by Lord Bassam of Brighton on 11 December 2007 (WA 29), in view of the long-term nature of a railway electrification process, what would be the effect on the business case for railway electrification if the cost of oil was forecast at $200 a barrel in 2020 and passenger and freight train traffic continued to grow in line with the trends over the last five years.
Answer

A sustained rise in the cost of oil to $200 a barrel in 2020 would improve the business case for railway electrification, with the extent of any improvement depending on the specific scheme. However, any decision on electrification would need to take account of its effect on the implementation of the programme now being worked up to deliver the capacity improvements set out in the high-level output specification as part of the July rail White Paper.


Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
1510; 698 c110-1WA
Session
2007-08
Related items
Energy: Oil Prices
Tuesday, 11 December 2007
Written questions
House of Lords
Subjects
Costs Oil Railways Prices Electrification
Contains statistics
Yes
Link
View this Written question on www.publications.parliament.uk