Full steam ahead – MPs
Jul 21 2008 by Adrian Pearson, The Journal
MPs have warned of years of “misery and overcrowding” if the Government does not start work now on plans to introduce high-speed rail lines.
A Parliamentary select committee has produced a report highlighting the damage that could be done to train services if the Government continues to hesitate on the introduction of new lines linking the North to London.
MPs on the transport committee have called on the Government to acknowledge the various expert reports which back the creation of new rail lines. These include a submission by the Northern Way, a super-quango which acts on behalf of North development agencies. The agency’s transport supremo Prof David Begg has already told the Government it could add £10bn to the economy if it built high-speed links, with the lines adding £3.5bn to the North East alone.
The report also comes after pressure group Transport 2000 revealed some services in the region were running 88% over capacity.
MPs on the committee said that after looking at the Government’s railways plans for the next 30 years they were dismayed by the lack of a “clear and bold” vision for high-speed development.
Their report said: “It is deeply disappointing that the White Paper dodged the decision on high-speed rail. Given the additional capacity and the limited additional cost in building high-speed as opposed to conventional rail lines, we recommend that the Government consider very seriously the possibility of building high-speed lines where new lines are to be constructed.”
Tyne Bridge MP David Clelland said the Government was slowly coming round to the idea of high-speed rail, but nowhere near fast enough.
He said: “During the committee’s hearing we asked of the Department for Transport what was the most innovative work coming out of the department, and they struggled to answer. They cannot continue like this. We think they are not being inventive enough or forward-thinking enough. And it will be for the good of our region to change that.”
Last night maritime union the RMT added its voice to calls for a “genuine 30-year strategy” for the industry.
General secretary Bob Crow said: “The committee is absolutely spot-on that investment in high-speed lines and electrification is crucial, that the 1,300 new carriages announced recently are welcome but not enough, and that the Government is being over-cautious.
“It is right, too, that the Government should be encouraging people out of cars and aeroplanes and on to trains – and that must involve a fundamental shift away from never-ending road-building and airport expansion.”
A DfT Spokesman said: “We are targeting £10bn to bring about the single biggest increase in capacity for a generation and Network Rail is looking at long-term options including electrification and new lines whether conventional or high-speed.”
We think they are not being inventive enough or forward-thinking enough
