East Coast Railway Line

To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport if he will make an assessment of the merits of increasing capacity for (a) passengers and (b) freight on the East Coast Main Line, with particular reference to (i) the lengthening of station platforms and (ii) the raising of freight loading gauges. (322242)

The assessment of the merits of increasing capacity on the East Coast Main Line is a matter for Network Rail. The East Coast Main Line Route Utilisation Study was published by Network Rail in February 2008 and made recommendations for increasing the route's capacity for both passenger and freight services. This can be found on Network Rail's website at:

www.networkrail.co.uk