Written question asked by James McMurdock (Independent (affiliation)) on Friday, 29 May 2026, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Tuesday, 2 June 2026. It was answered by Simon Lightwood (Labour) on Friday, 5 June 2026 on behalf of the Department for Transport.

Lower Thames Crossing

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what comparative assessment she has made of the Lower Thames Crossing with alternative rail infrastructure in the Thames Estuary region in relation to (a) traffic congestion reduction and (b) economic productivity.

Answer: I can confirm the Department for Transport and National Highways considered both a heavy rail crossing of the Thames and a combined heavy rail and road crossing, serving passengers and rail freight. The report concluded that the provision of rail freight facilities over any new crossing in the Lower Thames area would be unlikely to assist in addressing any shortage of freight paths on key rail routes. As part of its application to seek Development Consent for the Lower Thames Crossing project, National Highways submitted a Planning Statement, which included details of the role that other transport modes, including rail might have in helping to reduce congestion at the Dartford Crossing. Whilst passenger and freight rail was considered before the DCO application was submitted in 2022, it was not found that there was a case for including rail instead of, or alongside a new highway crossing of the River Thames to the east of the Dartford Crossing.

Secondary information