Written question asked by Gill Furniss (Labour) on Monday, 16 April 2018, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Thursday, 19 April 2018 (named day). It was answered by Jesse Norman (Conservative) on Thursday, 19 April 2018 on behalf of the Department for Transport.

Tunnels: Pennines

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what progress he has made on the plan for the trans-Pennine tunnel.

Answer: The initial phase of work carried out by Highways England and Transport for the North, which sought to understand the cost and benefits of linking Manchester and Sheffield via a tunnel, found that while a long tunnel under the Peak District National Park was technically feasible, it was unaffordable and offered poor value for money. Further work is under way to examine the strategic, economic and environmental case for a shorter tunnel under the most environmentally sensitive areas of the National Park. This work is expected to report by the end of the year.

Secondary information