Written questions by Davies.

Whether she has had recent discussions with the Office of Road and Rail on reducing decision making times on the introduction of new rail routes (a) to and from London, (b) between London and Wales and (c) between Shropshire and London.

Access to the rail network is a matter for the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) in its capacity as independent regulator for the rail industry. The Department works closely with both ORR and Network Rail to ensure that information to inform access decisions is provided in as timely a manner as possible, however it is important that decisions are fully considered and potential impacts to taxpayers, the efficient operation of the network, and to other operators are properly assessed.

If she will publish a timetable for a decision on the funding of the M54-M6 North link.

Funding for the M54 to M6 Link Road is subject to the multi-year Spending Review, and assurances cannot be provided on individual projects until the conclusion of the Spending Review.

What steps her Department is taking to help improve the safety of platform train interfaces at train stations.

Working with the industry, the Rail Safety and Standards Board (RSSB) has developed a comprehensive strategy to improve safety at the platform train interface (PTI) on the mainline railway. The strategy adopts a whole-system, safety by design, risk-based ...

If she will publish the performance of Transport for Wales trains from Aberystwyth to Birmingham International via Telford in both directions; and what steps she plans to take to help improve performance.

Contracting of Transport for Wales services is devolved to the Welsh Government. Performance information from across the rail network in Great Britain is published by the Office for Road and Rail (https://dataportal.orr.gov.uk/statistics/performance/passe...

What the average length of paternity leave taken by staff in her Department was in each of the last three years.

Below is the average length of paternity leave, in working days, for each of the last 3 calendar years.Calendar YearWorking days20219.8320229.5020239.39

What assessment he has made of the potential merits of the installation of solar panels as part of the motorway network; and which Government department or agency would provide (a) consent, (b) investment and (

National Highways, who are responsible for operating, maintaining, and improving the Strategic Road Network, which includes motorways and trunk ‘A’ roads, is actively exploring renewable energy generation as part of its Net Zero Highways plan. Multiple tr...

What her planned timetable is for funding the (a) M54 and (b) M6 North link road.

A review of the Department’s capital spend portfolio has been commissioned, this will inform the Department’s new long-term strategy for transport, developing a modern and integrated network with people at its heart and ensuring that transport infrastruct...

How many passengers used Telford Central train station in each year since 1994.

The station usage data is compiled by ORR and historic results going back to 1997 are publicly available through the following link: Estimates of station usage | ORR Data Portal, specifically under Table 1410 - Passenger entries and exits and interchanges...

What steps he is taking to improve the Birmingham to Shrewsbury (via Telford) railway line.

Midlands Connect, the sub-national transport body which researches, develops and progresses transport projects in the Midlands, are refreshing the Business Case for line speed improvements to this route. My officials are in regular contact with Midlands C...

What assessment her Department has made of the potential economic impact of introducing a direct train from Telford to London.

No assessment has been made of the economic benefit of introducing a direct train from Telford to London. Since June 2024, Telford Central has had a regular fast service every 30 minutes to and from Birmingham New Street that provides good onward connections to and from London Euston, and journey times of as little as 2 hours 20 minutes.

What assessment her Department has made of the potential economic impact of electrifying the train track from Telford to (a) Wolverhampton and (b) Shrewsbury.

With an indicative cost of ~£270m, Midlands Connect, the sub-national transport body which researches, develops and progresses transport projects in the Midlands, view electrification of this route as prohibitively expensive. However, they are refreshing the Business Case for line speed improvements to this route, and my officials are in regular contact with Midlands Connect to support them in this work. The Minister of State for Rail expects to receive an updated Business Case later this year.

What assessment her Department has made on the potential economic impact of linking the M54 and M6 north.

The proposed M54 to M6 link road in the Road Investment Strategy was most recently assessed as high value for money and with a benefit to cost ratio of 3.17.