Central Railway Freight Line

HC Deb 25 March 2002 vol 382 cc658-9W

Mr. Hammond

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what assessment he has received from the SRA regarding the(a) financial and (b) technical case for the proposed Central Railway freight line. [45005]

Mr. Jamieson

Last year the Strategic Rail Authority provided Ministers with a high level financial and technical review of Central Railway's proposals. With the help of consultants and with the co-operation of Central Railway, the SRA are to carry out a further detailed assessment in order to further test key areas of the proposals. This is an essential piece of work if the Government are to be able to take an informed decision about Central Railway's request for a hybrid Bill. The SRA anticipates that the work will be completed by September.