§ Mr. CousinsTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what plans and programmes there were for(a) the upgrade of the east coast main line and (b) for upgrades and extensions of rail lines in the north-east of England as at 1 October. [10924]
§ Mr. JamiesonThe Strategic Rail Authority (SRA) announced on 14 September that they had allocated £17.5 million for development work for phase two of the project to upgrade the east coast main line. The SRA is also considering a number of applications for funding from the rail passengers partnership scheme including provision of passenger services over the Ashington, Blyth and Tyne line and to reopen the Leamside line.
The SRA intends to submit its strategic plan to Ministers by the end of November which will set out its priorities for enhancement to the network.