§ 46. Mr. K. Robinsonasked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation how many years the electrification of the London-Midland main line from Euston to Crewe will take to complete; at what stage the Euston-Rugby section will be 386 begun; how long this will take to complete; and when structural work is expected to start.
§ Mr. Boyd-CarpenterAs I explained during the debate on 8th February, it is not possible at this stage to give dates with respect to particular items of the modernisation plan. The British Transport Commission will, however, as I then indicated, publish annual forecasts.
§ Mr. RobinsonWill the right hon. Gentleman use all his persuasion to get the maximum priority for this electrification scheme? Will he recall his experience when he visited the Chalk Farm motive power depot, and appreciate that one of the very good reasons for getting on with this work is the health and convenience of my constituents?
§ Mr. Boyd-CarpenterI indicated in the debate on the modernisation plan that one of the advantages of electrification is getting rid of smoke from steam locomotives, but the plan must be considered as a whole, and I could not say that this scheme necessarily came ahead of all the others.