HC Deb 19 November 1991 vol 199 c89W
Ms. Walley

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) when he gave financial approval for expenditure on the electric locomotives used on the Stoke on Trent-Euston service; and how many(a) class 90 electrics and (b) class 86–2 electrics (i) were approved and (ii) are currently in use;

(2) how many 1987–88 InterCity new 110 mph class 90 electric locomotives were (a) approved and (b) delivered to InterCity for use on the west coast main line out of Euston, and of those how many are used on (a) the InterCity sector (b) Railfreight and (c) parcels;

(3) how many class 90 locomotives built between 1988 and 1990 were allocated from InterCity to Railfreight; and what impact this reallocation has had on InterCity's capacity to meet its quality of service objectives.

Mr. Freeman

Approval for 50 class 90 locomotives was given in 1984. Fifteen were allocated by BR for use on InterCity services on the west coast main line, of which the Stoke-Euston route is a part. All are currently in use on that line.

The remaining 35 class 90 locomotives were allocated to what are now the freight and parcels sectors.

Approval for class 86/2 locomotives was given in the mid–1960s. Information on their original deployment is no longer available. Twenty-two class 86/2 locomotives remain in service on the west coast main line.