Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Economic Growth: Transport System

Thursday 8 January 2026 · 2 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 2 Partly answered 0 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Ministerial Questions on Economic Growth: Transport System held on 2026-01-08
  • Dr Allison Gardner raised concerns about limited public transport access to tourist attractions in Stoke-on-Trent South
  • Sally Jameson requested a meeting with the Roads Minister to discuss improving Junction 3 of the M18 in Doncaster

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Allison Gardner Lab Stoke-on-Trent South
Economy Transport
Context

Stoke-on-Trent South's transport access to international visitor attractions remains limited, with Barlaston and Wedgwood railway stations under a 19-year closure.

Question

My constituency of Stoke-on-Trent South and the villages is home to internationally recognised visitor attractions, including the iconic World of Wedgwood and the stunning grade-II listed Trentham Estate and its gardens, yet public transport access to those sites remains limited. Two local railway stations, Barlaston and Wedgwood, continue to be placed under a lengthy temporary closure of 19 years. Will the Secretary of State support the reopening of the Stoke-on-Trent South railway stations to better connect communities with jobs, skills and tourism opportunities to boost economic growth in my constituency?

Answer from The Secretary of State for Transport (Heidi Alexander)

I appreciate what a fearsome and impatient advocate my hon. Friend is for her constituency, and I am sure she will leave no stone unturned in exploring potential funding options with local partners to reopen some of those stations. I will gladly ask the Rail Minister to sit down with her to discuss the art of the possible.

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Q2 Sally Jameson Labour (Co-op) Doncaster Central
Transport
Context

The M18 junction 3 in Doncaster is a major bottleneck to regional growth.

Question

Junction 3 of the M18 in Doncaster is one of the biggest bottlenecks to growth in our region, so will the Minister meet me to discuss the possibility of its inclusion in the road investment strategy and how the Department can further support the mayoral combined authority and the council to make sure we get this sorted out?

Answer from The Secretary of State for Transport (Heidi Alexander)

I would be happy to ask the Roads Minister, my hon. Friend the Member for Wakefield and Rothwell (Simon Lightwood), to meet my hon. Friend, who has campaigned hard to secure a viable future for Doncaster Sheffield airport, and I also appreciate the importance of this junction. We have given a significant amount of funding to the South Yorkshire mayoral combined authority to determine what its local investment priorities are. I encourage her to continue discussions with the Mayor of South Yorkshire to that effect.

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