Railway blow
THE man tasked with realising the Government’s high speed rail vision has dealt a blow to North East hopes.
Sir David Rowlands has revealed he is likely to recommend a new high speed line from London to Birmingham as expected, but will take the service on to Manchester.
He gave no commitment to a new line running to Newcastle, despite claiming that justification for the new line would be based on economic benefits.
Sir David, head of Government-backed High Speed 2, said the route from London to Birmingham was the obvious candidate for the next rail line.
He added: "The railway we have today has been taken increasingly to its limits.”
Sir David said any recommendation to build a new high speed line was likely to include an option for expanding up to Manchester. Transport bosses and North East businesses say the Government risks “cutting off” the region if a fast line is built up the West coast.
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