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Written question asked by Lord Greaves (Liberal Democrat) on Wednesday, 9 November 2016, in the House of Lords. It was due for an answer on Wednesday, 23 November 2016. It was answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon (Conservative) on Wednesday, 23 November 2016 on behalf of the Department for Transport.

Settle-Carlisle Railway Line

Question

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have, and what discussions they have had and are planning to have with train operators and local campaign groups, about (1) the improvement of services on the Settle and Carlisle line, and (2) extending Midland Main Line or East Coast Main Line services from Leeds to Carlisle and Glasgow via the Settle and Carlisle line.

Answer

Through the Northern Rail franchise, the Settle & Carlisle line will benefit from an extra departure from Leeds between 1600 and 1900 and two extra Sunday services.

The trains will also be fully refurbished including:-

o Re-seating and re-cushioning

o LED lighting

o WiFi

o CCTV

o New floor coverings

o Toilet with baby-change facility.

There will also be investment in station improvements on the line

No discussions have, or are planned to, occur with relevant train operators on those routes (East Midlands Trains and Virgin East Coast Trains) or local campaign groups to extend services from Leeds to Carlisle and Glasgow via the Settle and Carlisle line.

However, the work to specify the next East Midlands franchise has commenced and a vital part of meeting the Department for Transport’s ambitions involves asking stakeholders and passengers what they would like to see from the new East Midlands franchise. As with all franchise competitions, a public consultation exercise will be launched shortly through which aspirations for future facilities and rail services can be submitted to the Department.

Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
HL3171
Session
2016-17
Subjects
East Coast main line Standards Midland main line Settle-Carlisle railway line
Link
View this Written question on www.parliament.uk