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8 Mar 2005 : Column 1626W—continued

First Great Western Link

Mr. Boris Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what representations he has received from the Thames Valley Chamber of Commerce concerning First Great Western Link's new timetable for the Thames Valley area; [220365]

(2) what assessment he has made of the impact First Great Western Link's new timetable for the Thames Valley area has had on local businesses; [220366]

(3) what plans he has to (a) reduce overcrowding and (b) improve punctuality on the Henley-Twyford-Paddington line. [220367]

Mr. McNulty: No representations have been received from the Thames Valley Chamber of Commerce. Timetable changes on services to and from London Paddington were consulted on by the Strategic Rail Authority in early 2004. The majority of stakeholders recognised the benefits of the overall package of measures, although there was no specific assessment of the impact of the changes on local businesses. On 31 January First Great Western Link (FGWL) enhanced the 0727 Twyford-London Paddington service by increasing it from a five-carriage train to a 10-carriage Adelante train to reduce crowding. FGWL have also recently seen a slight improvement in overall punctuality. Both the Strategic Rail Authority and FGWL are continuing to monitor the performance of the timetable.

Mr. Boris Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will meet First Great Western Link, the Strategic Rail Authority and interested hon. Members to discuss timetabling of services in the Thames Valley area. [220368]

Mr. McNulty: I have already agreed to meet the hon. Gentleman and his hon. Colleague from Maidenhead on 10 March 2005. Further meetings with relevant parties will be arranged as necessary.

Local Transport Plans

Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what formula will be used to calculate the financial allocations in the Local Transport Plans 2006–11; and if he will make a statement. [219551]

Charlotte Atkins: A formula is used to allocate most of the capital highways maintenance funding between local authorities. This formula considers the size and condition of the road networks and the size of the bridge stock, for which local highway authorities are responsible.

The Department is also developing a formula to represent local transport pressures, such as road casualties and local public transport patronage, for .possible use in influencing financial allocations for integrated transport block schemes. Subject to the satisfactory completion of development work, the Department proposes to consult with local authorities on this formula later this year.
 
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M1

Mr. Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport for what reasons the M1 Motorway near junction 18 was closed on 21 February; upon whose authority; whether a heavy goods vehicle was involved; and if he will make a statement. [219899]

Mr. Jamieson: The southbound carriageway was closed by Northamptonshire police following an incident involving a car and a heavy goods vehicle. The HGV shed its load of heavy concrete blocks and the closure was needed to deal with the build up of traffic and enable the road to be cleared by large, specialised recovery crews, in order to remove the hazard to road users. Traffic was diverted off the motorway at Junction 18.

M42

Mr. Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he expects the M42 to be free of (a) roadworks and (b) lane closures. [219566]

Mr. Jamieson: Work is currently being carried out in connection with two pilot projects on the M42, both of which are designed to improve journey reliability. Between Junctions 3A and 7 the Active Traffic Management scheme, involving the installation of signs, signals and detector loops in the road surface designed to improve information to drivers and improve traffic flow, is on programme to be complete by the end of April 2005. There will be a need for limited lane closures during the summer whilst message signs and CCTV systems are commissioned.

On the northbound carriageway between Junctions 10 and 11, signs are being installed in connection with a project to prevent HGVs from overtaking on an uphill section of the motorway and causing delays. This work is being carried out at off-peak times and does not involve lane closures and is also due for completion by April.

Manchester Metrolink

Mr. Yeo: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) how much has been spent in total so far on preparatory work for the Manchester Metrolink extension; [220645]

(2) how much has been spent on the acquisition of (a) land and (b) buildings in connection with the Manchester Metrolink extension; [220648]

(3) how much has been spent on demolition costs so far in connection with the Manchester Metrolink extension. [220650]

Mr. Darling: The Department has provided some £170 million. Around £80 million was for Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Executive (GMPTE) to buy the concession for the operation of Metrolink. This has continuing value to generate revenue for GMPTE and give them control over the network. The rest has been for advanced works (i.e. utility diversions); around £32 million has been provided for the buying of property (including demolition) and land, some of which may still be required for the package that GMPTE now develop.
 
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Mr. Yeo: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the projected cost of the Manchester Metrolink extension scheme was (a) when it was first announced and (b) currently. [220649]

Mr. Darling: I refer to my written statement to the House of 16 December 2004.

Motorway Accidents (HGVs)

Mr. Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport in what percentage of accidents occurring on motorways resulting in a motorway closure a heavy goods vehicle was involved in each of the last five years; and if he will make it his policy to collect and publish such figures annually. [219900]

Mr. Jamieson: Based on the major incidents reported to the Highways Agency over the last 12 months that resulted in a full carriageway closure of the motorway, approximately 50 per cent. of those incidents have involved, but were not necessarily caused by, heavy goods vehicles.

The Highways Agency is taking over responsibility for certain aspects of incident management on motorways from the police over the next twelve months. As part of this process data relating to incidents will be systematically collected by the Highways Agency. No decision has yet been made about which aspects of that data would be routinely published.

Newhaven Port

Mr. Waterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many (a) vehicles and (b) passengers passed through the port of Newhaven in the most recent period for which figures are available. [219653]

Mr. Jamieson: The numbers of vehicles and passengers passing through the port of Newhaven in 2003, the latest year for which information is available, were as follows:

	Thousand
Road goods vehicles	34
Unaccompanied trailers	3
Passenger cars	90
Passengers	397

Road Building

Mr. Yeo: To ask the Secretary of State for Transportwhat the average cost is of building one mile of new (a) motorway, (b) dual carriageway and (c) conventional two lane road. [220641]

Mr. Darling: The average cost of building one mile of new (a) motorway is £24 million per mile, (b) dual lane carriageway is £13 million per mile, (c) conventional two lane road is £8 million per mile.

In considering the cost of a new road there are many variables, including the difference between urban or rural areas, a new route or an improvement of an existing network. These can result in significant differences in the cost for a similar standard. Factors such as quality of
 
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land, site geology, drainage, environmental mitigation, traffic management or restricted access can also have a large impact on cost.

The averages costs quoted above are taken from roads constructed by the Highways Agency and include elements for structures, land, compensation, design and site supervision, but not future inflation.

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