Tags: Growth Deal, Local Growth Fund, Northern Powerhouse

The scheme was for the ‘electrification’ of the rail route between the East Coast Main Line (already electrified) and Hull via Selby.

This would have allowed electrified services to run between Hull and London and would have linked to the planned electrification of the Trans-Pennine route west of Selby allowing electrified services from Hull to Leeds, Manchester and potentially York and the North.

This scheme was in the LEP’s Growth Deal programme subject to business case approval by the Department for Transport.

The Transport Minister, Paul Maynard MP, wrote to the LEP Chair and local MPs on 16 November 2016 to respond to the proposal which had been submitted by First Hull Trains.  Citing other investments, including the decision by First Hull Trains to invest in a new fleet of bi-mode (diesel/electric hybrid) trains, the Minister wrote:

Given the number of passenger benefits already being delivered without electrification, there is almost no further benefit to justify further publicly funded investment and the disruption electrification would bring.

The LEP is now discussing next steps with partners.