§ Mr. LeadbitterTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport if any discussions are taking place on road and rail development requirements with the local authorities and other interested bodies in the northern region to meet the regional internal and external transport needs of the European single market and the completion of the Channel tunnel; what Government funding will be made available; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. PortilloSubstantial discussions are taking place on both road and rail requirements. A regional forum has been held in Newcastle-upon-Tyne involving the Department of Transport, local authorities and British Rail. Working groups are considering the requirements in detail.
The Government are contributing heavily to the provision of roads in the region. Rail developments are the responsibility of the British Railways Board. Government funding of international rail services is prohibited by section 42 of the Channel Tunnel Act.
§ Mr. LeadbitterTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport what is his latest assessment of the increase in the volume of goods and passenger traffic on the completion of the Channel tunnel; and what steps are being taken to avoid congestion in the south-east and provide efficient transport to the regions.
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§ Mr. PortilloAccording to Eurotunnel's latest traffic projections, the annual volume of Channel tunnel traffic on opening will be 30.7 million passengers and 15.5 million gross tonnes of freight.
For road traffic, the main route through Kent will be the M20, and this is being completed and widened to provide a three-lane motorway from the M25 to the tunnel terminal. The A20 link into Dover and a number of other roads in Kent are also being improved to provide good access to the tunnel and the ports. Cross-Channel traffic from the regions will benefit from the new Dartford crossing and the widening of some sections of the M25. The M25 is under review by consultants and their report is expected early in the new year.
For rail traffic, the Government have already approved in principle investment by BR of some £600 million in new infrastructure and rolling stock for the core London/Paris/Brussels passenger service and freight services to all parts of the United Kingdom. The investment programme includes new high-speed passenger trains, an international passenger terminal at Waterloo, a frontier station at Kensington Olympia for passenger services beyond London, a new international freight yard at Willesden, a number of freight locomotives, and improvements to track and signalling.
Section 40 of the Channel Tunnel Act requires BR to prepare by the end of 1989 a plan for passenger and freight services to the regions, and BR is currently consulting regional interests to identify the opportunities.
British Rail produced in July a report on rail capacity between London and the tunnel which indicates that new route capacity will be needed at some time in the future, involving the construction of a new line between Folkestone and London and new terminal capacity in London. BR is currently consulting local authorities and other interested parties to determine a preferred route by early next year. BR has invited proposals for private sector participation in the construction, financing and ownership of a new rail link.
§ Mr. PikeTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport if, when he next meets the chairman of British Rail, he will discuss proposals for improving rail links between the north-west and the south-east for the movement of freight via the Channel tunnel.
§ Mr. PortilloThis would not be the appropriate time. British Rail is required by section 40 of the Channel Tunnel Act to publish a plan by the end of 1989 setting out their proposals for international passenger and freight services and any infrastructure developments needed to support those services. British Rail is currently discussing the preparation of this plan with interested parties in all regions of the United Kingdom, with a view to producing a draft plan next summer.
§ Mr. PikeTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many kilometres of new motorway his Department currently intends to build to relieve pressure on the M1, the M6, the M25 and the M20 in preparation for the opening of the Channel tunnel.
§ Mr. Peter BottomleyThe Government announced in the White Paper "The Channel Fixed Link" (Cmnd. 9735) that the 23 km gap between Maidstone and Ashford on the M20 would be filled with dual three-lane motorway, and that the 10.8 km Maidstone bypass section would be widened from two lanes to three to ensure good access to 265W the tunnel terminal. In general, the impact of the Channel tunnel is one of many factors taken into account in the design of motorway and trunk road schemes.
We intend to construct some 100 km of new and improved motorway on the M1, M6, M25 and M20. The extension of the M40 from Oxford to Birmingham will also relieve pressure on the M1. The privately funded Dartford-Thurrock crossing will relieve pressure on the M25.
The schemes in the programme are as follows:
Scheme Km M1 Junction 1 improvement — Climbing Lane junction 9 1.9 Widening between junctions 23A and 24 (as part of A42 Castle Donington N) 1.6 Junction 34 Meadowhall-Tinsley roundabout improvement (privately funded) — M6 Widening between junctions 20 and 21A 8.5 Widening between junctions 30 and 31 3.5 Improvements between junctions 31 and 32 6.9 A446(M) Birmingham northern relief road (M6 relief road) 40.2 M20 Maidstone-Ashford 23.0 Widening between junctions 5 and 8 (Maidstone bypass) 10.8 M25 Widening between junctions 11 and 13 9.3 Total 105.7