§ Mrs. Renée Shortasked the Secretary of State for Transport if he has any plans to make resources available for the rapid introduction of electrification of the railway lines in the West Midlands; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. FowlerLocal rail services within the West Midlands county boundary are operated by British Rail under an agreement with the West Midlands passenger transport executive. Capital investment in these services is primarily a matter for the executive and county council to consider. More generally, I am considering the findings of the joint review of main line electrification, the final report of which was published on 11 February. I shall make a statement on this in due course.