§ Mr. BayleyTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many British Rail employees were based in York on 1 January of each year from 1979 to 1994.
§ Mr. FreemanI refer to the reply I gave the hon. Member on 14 January 1994, c.291. Information for the previous years is not readily available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
§ Mr. CousinsTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport how the proposed channel tunnel fastlink will be connected to the east coast main line; whether the costs of this connection are included in the fastlink scheme; what estimates he can give of handling east coast main line trains through the St. Pancras reversing movement to the fastlink; and whether the east coast main line will be upgraded to VIC B+ loading gauge for freight traffic.
§ Mr. FreemanA direct connection from St. Pancras to the east coast main line will be provided by means of a new link across the King's Cross railway lands, the cost of which is included in the estimates for the rail link. Use of St. Pancras will have no adverse effect on journey times. All trains will have to stop to allow officials undertaking on-train border controls to join or depart and for train crews to be changed. Trains leaving the station in the same direction as they arrive will not affect the length of the pause. BR does not propose upgrades to the loading gauges of existing railways, although private investors are free to do so.