§ Mr. George OsborneTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what assessment he has made of the impact of the closure of the West Coast main line next year on Wilmslow; [74432]
(2) what discussions he has had with Railtrack and Network Rail on opening the branch railway line from Styal to Manchester during the closure of the West Coast main line next year; [74430]
(3)if he will list the persons and organisations consulted before his announcement that the West Coast main line will close next year. [74431]
§ Mr. JamiesonThese are matters for the Strategic Rail Authority. On 9 October, the SRA published for consultation their draft Strategy for delivering the modernisation of the West Coast Main Line. The Strategy includes consideration of alternative service patterns on sections of line when work is in progress.
§ Mr. EvansTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the total cost to public funds is of the West Coast Mainline upgrade to date. [73798]
§ Mr. JamiesonNo public funds have been expended specifically on the West Coast Main Line route modernisation project. However, to the extent that the712W estimated costs of the project have already been taken into account by the Rail Regulator in determining Railtrack's income requirements, an element of that income will have been supported by public funding to train operating companies using the line which has flowed through to Railtrack in the form of access charges, and by public funding for network grants paid to Railtrack.