§ Mr. SpearingTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport what is the estimated cost of electrification of the Cambridge-King's Lynn railway line; what is his estimate of the average numbers of passengers travelling between Ely and King's Lynn in any day or week; and if he will publish the calculations which show the expected return on this investment over the route(a) Cambridge to Ely, (b) Ely to King's Lynn and (c) Cambridge to King's Lynn.
§ Mr. PortilloThe total cost of the project is estimated at £20.1 million, of which £11 million will be spent on the necessary infrastructure. The Department has no separate figures for passenger loadings between Ely and King's Lynn. This project was, as usual, appraised using a 7 per cent. discount rate, and was shown to be the most cost-effective way of continuing to operate this line.