§ Mr. VazTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport what is the estimated cost of electrifying the London to Leicester east midlands line; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. David MitchellThe layout of the midland main line, with a high proportion of curves, junctions and stations, means that without a major reconstruction significant improvements in speed are impracticable. For these reasons the existing HSTs cannot be used to their full potential because of these limitations. Electrification might reduce journey times by a few minutes, but I understand from BR that it is clear from preliminary studies that the benefits to the passenger would be small compared to the cost, which would have to be recouped through fares. In these circumstances BR has made no recent or detailed estimates of cost.