HC Deb 25 November 1991 vol 199 cc395-7W
12. Mr. John Evans

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans he has to improve the rail connections between the channel tunnel and north-west England in time for the opening of the tunnel.

Mr. Rifkind

British Rail plans to invest over £1.4 billion in channel tunnel services. The north-west will have through passenger services and freight terminals at Trafford Park and Liverpool.

13. Mr. Robert Hicks

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement about British Rail's proposals for the location of rail freight depots to serve European destinations via the channel tunnel, with specific reference to the needs of south-west England.

Mr. Freeman

British Rail has announced the locations of all nine of its proposed channel tunnel freight terminals. Initially the terminal at Cardiff will serve south Wales and the south-west of England. British Rail is exploring the prospect of a terminal at Avonmouth.

16. Mr. Hind

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a further statement on the establishment of freight terminals in the north-west of England for ongoing carriage of trade through the channel tunnel.

Mr. Freeman

British Rail has announced that there will be channel tunnel freight terminals in Trafford Park (Manchester) and Seaforth (Merseyside) to link industry in the north-west with the channel tunnel. Both terminals are due to open in 1993.

17. Mr. Jacques Arnold

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on environmental protection and compensation for residents of north-west Kent along the line of the recently-announced route for the channel tunnel high-speed rail link.

Mr. Freeman

There will be full public consultation on environmental protection measures, and voluntary purchase will be offered for homes required for, or seriously affected by, the construction and operation of the rail link. Neither the protection measures, nor the purchase scheme, can be adequately defined until the preferred route has been engineered in greater detail.

Mr. Hill

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans there are to improve British Rail freight links between Southampton and the channel tunnel.

Mr. McLoughlin

The planning and running of its international freight services is a commercial matter for British Rail. Freight from Southampton through the channel tunnel will be routed through the freight terminal at Willesden.

26. Mr. Gerald Bowden

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what marketing strategy is to be used by British Rail in disposing of the residential properties they have bought in the Warwick gardens area of Dulwich in anticipation of the channel tunnel rail link going through south-east London.

Mr. Freeman

British Rail will seek to minimise any disruption of the local housing market by operating a carefully controlled sales programme.

23. Mr. Morgan

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what discussions he has had with the chairman of British Rail concerning the passenger and freight railway services proposed between south Wales and the channel tunnel.

Mr. Freeman

On 25 October I visited the site of the planned channel tunnel freight terminal in Cardiff.