HL Deb 08 February 2005 vol 669 cc110-1WA
Lord Berkeley

asked Her Majesty's Government:

What is the total cost of services provided by Bechtel in connection with the West Coast Main Line route modernisation. [HL1068]

Lord Davies of Oldham

This is a matter of private contract between Network Rail and Bechtel.

Lord Inglewood

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether the rail service available to passengers on the West Coast Main Line at weekends is satisfactory; and whether they consider the journey times to the railhead by bus from temporarily-closed stations to be acceptable. [HL1104]

Lord Davies of Oldham

Extensive work continues to be carried out on the West Coast Main Line as part of the route modernisation project. This requires parts of the line to be closed for periods and to be replaced temporarily by road transport. Every attempt is made by the train operators to avoid periods of peak demand and to minimise the inconvenience to passengers of replacement bus services but it is inevitable that journey times will be extended when these are in operation.