§ 61. Mr. John H. Osbornasked the Minister of Transport what representations he received from British Railways concerning the London to Sheffield high-speed train service; and what consideration he gave to these representations before he decided on British Railway's capital request for seven high speed trains.
§ Mr. FowlerThe Railways Board submitted detailed proposals for seven additional high-speed trains for its East Coast main-line services in order to improve services to several places, including Sheffield. I examined the proposals very closely against the requirement that the investment should achieve an adequate financial return. I decided to approve the construction of four high-speed trains, bringing the number authorised to a total of 95. The deployment of its fleet of trains is a matter for the board.