§ 17. David TaylorTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the potential(a) economic, (b) environmental and (c) social benefits of the reinstatement of passenger rail services to the National Forest Line in Leicestershire, Derbyshire and Staffordshire; and if he will make a statement. [179626]
§ Mr. McNultyStudies by the local authority, Leicestershire county council, were carried out in the early 1990s into the National Forest Line; the "Ivanhoe Line" scheme. Passenger services on Section 1, between Leicester and Loughborough, are currently operating under a subsidy from Leicestershire county council.
A business case has not been made for the reinstatement of passenger services on Section 2, between Leicester and Burton-on-Trent, but it is likely that it will require considerable investment in infrastructure and additional subsidy to the train operator. Any appraisal will need to be considered against other priorities and in the context of the financial constraints on the industry at the present time.