Andrew Rosindell:The Secretary of State will know, because I have raised it so many times, about the appalling situation at the Gallows Corner A12-A127 junction. It is affecting everybody on the east side of London and well into Essex, including all my constituents. It is total incompetence by Transport for London and the Mayor of London. Will the Secretary of State take charge of the situation, overriding the Mayor of London and TfL, and ensure that this infrastructure project is completed no later than spring 2026? It has been delayed for six months already. \p Heidi Alexander: I fully appreciate that everyone in the hon. Gentleman’s constituency will want to see progress on this matter as soon as possible. I would point out that Gallows Corner has been in a state of disrepair for many years. In fact, under the previous Conservative Government, Transport for London received no substantive support, but this Labour Government committed more than £50 million to finally make the structure safe and reliable again in the spending review. Responsibility now sits with TfL. \p Calvin Bailey: The recent approval of Virgin Trains’ application to share Leyton’s Temple Mills depot with Eurostar is welcome news for jobs and investment in my constituency and for green economic growth. What plans does the Secretary of State have to further seize the opportunities from cross-channel rail? \p Heidi Alexander: The Office of Rail and Road’s decision with respect to unused capacity at Temple Mills was very welcome. We need to explore whether there are ways to increase depot capacity further, and my hon. Friend will be aware that there are a whole series of further steps that we need to go through before passenger services are live and running. I am really keen that we make use of the spare capacity that exists in the channel tunnel to improve and increase the number of direct international rail services that run from London.
Suburbs Report
Andrew Rosindell:The Secretary of State will know, because I have raised it so many times,
Tags