Written questions by Glover.

Whether she has made a comparative assessment of the whole-life costs of (a) full and (b) partial railway electrification taking into account (i) infrastructure and (ii) rolling stock including (A) fully electric (B) battery, (C) battery/electric, (D) bi-mode and (E) tri-mode trains.

The department is working closely with Network Rail to develop updated plans for where and when electrification is required to deliver a fully decarbonised railway, that considers both track and train, as well as the recent development of battery technology on the railway. As part of this process, the Department is assessing whole-life costs of both full and partial electrification with regard toall rolling stock traction types in order to decarbonise in the most cost-effective way.

What comparative assessment her Department has made of the reliability of battery (a) bi-mode, (b) tri-mode and (c) battery/electric hybrid trains and fully electric trains; and if she will publish the data underpinning this assessment.

The Secretary of State has not made an assessment of the merits of different types of traction as this is a matter for operators when procuring rolling stock to deliver passenger services. The Rail Delivery Group collects common reliability data from operators and a range of industry systems as part of their role in improving performance across the industry. This data is shared with operators and other industry partners to help with reliability improvements.

Which railways are planned for (a) full and (b) partial electrification; whether these proposals are funded; what the target delivery dates are; and whether this information is published in tabular format.

The railway is already a green form of transport and the Department want to develop an integrated strategy that joins up infrastructure investment and rolling stock plans to decarbonise rail travel effectively and efficiently for as many people as possible, which is likely to include a combination of full and partial electrification, and use of new, more efficient, technologies such as battery trains. The Department is assessing all investment plans as part of the ongoing Spending Review and will continue to announce details of schemes as decisions are taken, as was done for the major investments in East West Rail and Transpennine Route Upgrade following the Budget.

Whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of (a) discontinuous electrification and (b) battery locomotives on (i) the decarbonisation of rail freight and (ii) increasing the use of rail freight.

The department will consider all options, including battery locomotives and discontinuous electrification, when deciding on the best solution for decarbonising freight. Currently, it is unclear what role batteries will play in freight in the short term due to range and weight considerations; however, the technology is constantly improving. The department will continue to monitor developments in battery technology, although it is expected that most decarbonisation in rail freight will come from full electrification and fuel changes. Discontinuous electrification could also play a role decarbonising freight on lines which have lower volumes of freight traffic. Additionally, electric traction has advantages of more pulling power and speed compared to diesel traction and therefore could aid rail freight growth as well as contributing to decarbonisation.

What discussions her Department has had with Network Rail on the December 2025 East Coast Main Line timetable.

The Department has been in regular discussion with Network Rail since 2018 on the new East Coast Main Line (ECML) timetable including through industry planning forums. Last year, the Department commissioned an industry taskforce, including Network Rail, to oversee the readiness for this change and make a recommendation to implement. On their advice, I approved this timetable for implementation in December 2025 to enable the full benefits of a £4 billion investment in the route.

What recent assessment she has made of the adequacy of the performance of Arriva Cross Country under the terms of its contract.

CrossCountry performance was not good enough in 2024. A Remedial Agreement was in place from August 2024 to March 2025 when the operator took steps to improve services. The operator was monitored closely. In 2025 CrossCountry cancellations are now lower and punctuality better. The operator is aware there is more to do, particularly on Sundays. Based on the most recent information available, CrossCountry has been meeting its contractual benchmarks since 5 January 2025.

When she plans to publish the guidance entitled Manual For Streets 3.

The Department is working to bring together and update the Manual for Streets and Manual for Streets 2 to ensure the advice within them is still relevant and enables those designing streets to do so in a way that contributes to sustainable, healthy and active communities. A date for publication has not been set.

What recent progress she has made on the preparation of the third Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy.

The Department’s officials are scoping out options for the third Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy, and the Department will say more on this in due course. The Department will consult stakeholders before the publication of the Strategy, as required by the 2015 Infrastructure Act, and will also report to Parliament later this year on the delivery of the second Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy.

Pursuant to the Answer of 26 February 2025 to Question 32531 on Active Travel: Finance, how much funding her Department allocated for active travel by (a) (i) capital and (ii) revenue funding and (b) funding for local authorities, (c) funding for non-governmental organisations and (d) funding for Active Travel England's operational costs in each financial year between 2020-21 and 2023-24.

The below table sets out capital and revenue funding allocations to (a) local authorities (LA) and (b) non-government organisations (NGO), alongside funding for Active Travel England’s (ATE) operating costs from financial year 20/21 to 23/24. Final payments may differ from funding allocations. 20/2121/2222/2323/24LA capital173.9161.0200.045.8LA revenue71.136.945.757.2NGO capital18.048.0 7.7NGO revenue43.632.026.528.6ATE operating costs 4.010.2Total306.6277.9276.2149.5

What the estimated cost of the Great British Railways livery rebrand is.

We're delivering a once in a generation overhaul of the railways and will establish Great British Railways, a new body bringing track and train together, delivering reliable services for passengers and freight customers, and catalysing growth across the country. We’re looking at options for GBR branding and what the roll out options are, taking into account value for money for taxpayers and ensuring minimal disruption to services.

What assessment her Department has made of the impact of excess nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions from diesel vehicles using defeat devices on UK air quality.

The Department for Transport is the department responsible for setting and enforcing standards for NOx emissions from diesel vehicles. The Market Surveillance Unit within the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency is undertaking a programme looking at possible non-compliant diesel emissions in Euro 5 and Euro 6A/B/C diesel cars and vans where there is reason to believe that they contain a prohibited defeat device. DVSA investigations will include assessing the impact of excess NOx emissions from non-compliant vehicles. This programme of investigations is ongoing, and the Department will publish outcomes of these investigations when completed.

What steps her Department is taking to (a) identify and (b) recall diesel vehicles found to contain illegal defeat devices.

The Department for Transport is the department responsible for setting and enforcing standards for NOx emissions from diesel vehicles. The Market Surveillance Unit within the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency is undertaking a programme looking at possible non-compliant diesel emissions in Euro 5 and Euro 6A/B/C diesel cars and vans where there is reason to believe that they contain a prohibited defeat device. DVSA investigations will include assessing the impact of excess NOx emissions from non-compliant vehicles. This programme of investigations is ongoing, and the Department will publish outcomes of these investigations when completed.

If she will set out the amounts of dedicated funding she has allocated for active travel in England for (a) 2024/5 and (b) 2025/6, each broken down into (i) capital and revenue funding and (ii) funding for local authorities and for non-governmental organisations.

The dedicated funding allocated for active travel in England is (a) £111.2 million in 2024/25 and (b) £246.4 million in 2025/26, broken down in the table below. The remaining funding covers Active Travel England (ATE) operational costs. Funding type2024/252025/26Local authority capital£48.0m£128.0mLocal authority revenue£11.7m£40.5mNGO capital£5.0m£25.0mNGO revenue£34.4m£38.3m £99.1m£231.8m

What estimate she has made of the annual cost of GBRX.

GBRX has been allocated up to £4m annually through Network Rail’s existing budget.

If she will outline the (a) role and (b) responsibilities of GBRX.

Network Rail has established GBRX to drive innovation and overcome the barriers to adoption of advanced technologies on Britain’s railway. It aims to unlock strategic innovation where this is most challenging, at the crossroads of track and train, partnering with world leading innovators and small and medium enterprises, and collaborating with organisations across the rail sector. GBRX will be an important step towards achieving Great British Rail’s ambitions.

What support will be provided to schemes that have already received funding for early stage development under the Restoring Your Railway Fund.

Former Restoring Your Railway (RYR) projects are being considered as part of the Department’s capital spending portfolio review ahead of preparations for the Spending Review. As my Right Honourable Friend, the Chancellor has set out, decisions must be mad...

What her Department's planned timetable is for publishing new guidance on local transport plans.

The Government is currently reviewing guidance for Local Transport Authorities on Local Transport Plans.

What recent progress has been made on the Northumberland Line; and what estimate she has made of the date by which that work will be completed.

Recent progress on the Northumberland Line includes completion of track and signalling upgrades which have allowed driver training to commence, and the stations at Ashington, Newsham and Seaton Delaval nearing construction completion ahead of undergoing a...

With reference to the oral statement of the Chancellor of the Exchequer of 29 July 2024, Official Report, column 1037, which projects under the Restoring Your Railway programme will not go ahead.

Aside from Restore Your Railway projects currently at the RNEP ‘Deliver’ stage or in delivery/construction, all remaining Restore Your Railway originated projects are now being considered as part of preparations for the Spending Review. Ministers have bee...

How much of the £500 million of funding announced for the Restoring Your Railway Fund in January 2020 has been allocated to (a) the Ideas Fund, (b) support advanced proposals for re-opening of railway lines, (c

The Ideas Fund element of RYR supported the development of early-stage business cases. As of 4 July 2024, £21.24m has been spent. The allocated funds were £50.84m.Advanced Proposals refer to proposed lines and stations that were already being considered b...