§ Lord Lea of Crondallasked Her Majesty's Government:
What changes are implied by the 10-Year Transport Plan for the financing and scheduling of county road schemes such as Surrey County Council's proposed "Hickleys Corner" underpass on the A.31 primary route in Farnham. [HL3640]
81WA
§ Lord Macdonald of TradestonOur plan provides for the investment of £180 billion in transport over the next 10 years, including £59 billion in local transport. The allocation of this funding to particular areas of local transport will be determined through Local Transport Plans and other decision-making processes, but it is our assessment that over the life of the plan the heightened level of investment could fund 200 major local road improvements. It is for Surrey County Council to determine whether and when to propose the A.31 Hickleys Corner scheme as part of its Local Transport Plan.
§ Lord Greavesasked Her Majesty's Government:
With reference to the 10-Year Plan, Transport 2010, what proposals or support they have for new or enhanced routes for rail freight from the North of England to the South East and the Channel Tunnel. [HL3651]
§ Lord Macdonald of TradestonThe 10-Year Plan anticipates a requirement for around £4 billion of investment in rail freight to support our target of 80 per cent growth in the volume of freight moved by rail. This investment will be required at locations throughout the network and will include gauge and capacity enhancements, new terminals and new rolling stock. Rail freight should also benefit from some passenger enhancement projects on the West Coast and East Coast Main Lines.
Decisions on which schemes to support are for the Shadow Strategic Rail Authority, which will publish its strategic plan later this year.
§ Lord Greavesasked Her Majesty's Government:
With reference to the 10-Year Plan, Transport 2010, what proportion of the £7 billion rail modernisation fund and "levered in" private capital is expected to be used for the development and increase of freight capacity on the rail network. [HL3652]
§ Lord Macdonald of TradestonThe Rail Modernisation Fund will cover support for both passenger and freight infrastructure enhancements and lever-in a much greater amount of private capital. The split in spending between passenger and freight investment will depend on franchise replacement and will be strongly influenced by the Shadow Strategic Rail Authority's rail freight strategy. The Shadow SRA will publish its plan later this year.
§ Lord Greavesasked Her Majesty's Government:
With reference to the 10-Year Plan, Transport 2010, what is the target date for phasing out the "Pacer" (class 14X) units from the rail network. [HL3653]
82WA
§ Lord Macdonald of TradestonThere is no mandatory requirement for the removal of Pacer units from the rail network.
§ Lord Greavesasked Her Majesty's Government:
With reference to the 10-Year Plan, Transport 2010, what are the expected changes in the amount of domestic freight traffic carried by road between now and 2010:
(1) as an absolute tonnage; and
(2) as a share of the market;
in both cases (a) without, and (b) with, the extra investment set out in the plan. [HL3655]
§ Lord Macdonald of TradestonWithout the extra investment and other measures contained in the 10-Year Transport Plan, freight traffic in Great Britain carried by road, measured in tonne-kilometres, was forecast to increase by 24 per cent between 2000 and 2010. With the Plan, expected growth falls to 16 per cent.
Without 10-Year Plan measures, road freight's share of the overall market is expected to increase to approximately 67 per cent by 2010. With the plan, this share is projected to fall to approximately 63 per cent of the overall market.
§ Lord Greavesasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether the investment and other spending set out in the 10-Year Plan, Transport 2010, will lead to through rail services for passengers from the North of England to the European mainland via the Channel Tunnel. [H L3656]
§ Lord Macdonald of TradestonThe 10-Year Plan does not include a particular provision for through rail services. It is the statutory duty of the British Railways Board to prepare a plan for international services, including through services, via the Channel Tunnel. The board is currently reviewing its 1989 plan and expects to update that plan within the next couple of months.