§ Dr. MarekTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions (1) what assessment he has made of the(a) advantages and (b) disadvantages of electrifying the North Wales mainline; [111429]
(2) what assessment he has made of the (a) advantages and (b) disadvantages of completely electrifying the main rail connection between London and Dublin via Holyhead. [111430]
§ Mr. HillThe possibility of electrifying the North Wales line was investigated as part of the plans for the West Coast Main Line upgrade and it was considered that the expense of doing so could not be justified by the current or potential rail traffic over this line. Railtrack are committed to work which will increase the line speed considerably and some of this work has already been carried out. Both First North Western and Virgin Trains, who are the main operators over this route, are in the process of introducing new rolling stock, with tilting technology in the case of the Virgin Trains, and this will enable the line speed to be raised to between 90 and 100 mph over many sections.