Region will miss out on £20bn rail link plans

Sep 29 2008 by Ben Guy, The Journal

DAVID Cameron’s Conservatives were last night accused of snubbing the North East by backing plans for a new high-speed rail link that excludes the region.

The Journal has learned the Tories will back a new high-speed rail link from London to Birmingham, Manchester and Leeds with billions of pounds of taxpayers’ cash – but ignoring calls for the North East and Scotland to be connected into the system.

North East Tories expressed disappointment as Liberal Democrats and Labour accused Mr Cameron of ignoring the region, while business chiefs branded it as a “terrible missed opportunity”.

Under the plan, a new Conservative Government would open a competition to build the rail link with construction beginning in 2015 and ending in 2027.

Some £1.3bn of public cash would be injected into the scheme annually with remaining funding for the £20bn project coming from the private sector.

The scheme is being adopted after a detailed feasibility study by the Tories who say there is a strong business case and that the major social, economic and environmental benefits would “ripple” out to other parts of the country.

And a David Cameron administration would support linking Heathrow into the main rail network and a fast connection to St Pancras station, the Channel Tunnel interchange in London. All moves towards a third runway at Heathrow would be cancelled.

Andrew Sugden, policy director at the North East Chamber of Commerce, said: “What a terrible missed opportunity. All the evidence is there that UK plc will benefit so much if it is a national rail infrastructure scheme.”

Blaydon’s Labour MP Dave Anderson said: “It comes as no surprise what they are really like and long may it continue to show people that these Tories are no different to the Tories of the 1980s who cut off huge parts of the North East because they didn’t think it was economically viable.”

Anne-Marie Trevelyan, Tory Parliamentary candidate in Berwick, said: “It’s clear that the North East’s strong Labour position means there has not been a loud enough Conservative voice to be heard at the highest levels.

“Candidates and future MPs for the North East must raise the profile with the next Government so our region is no longer left behind in infrastructure and future business development.”

Senior Newcastle Lib Dem councillor Greg Stone said: “In one fell swoop the Tories have demonstrated the depth of their commitment to the North East.

“Clearly anything north of Leeds is off their radar and it shows the North East is not an economic and transport priority to them.”

Leeds and Manchester were already well connected and the Tories were “ignoring” the North East, Mr Stone said.

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Closing gap

A NEW high-speed rail connection would help close the North-South divide and open up existing lines to new services, according to the Conservatives.

Shadow transport secretary Theresa Villiers said: “This is one of the toughest decisions we face as a nation and David Cameron has not ducked it.

“We have to find a way to cut carbon emissions from
transport and generating hundreds of thousands of extra flights at Heathrow is not the way to do it.

“A new high speed link between north and south would bring massive benefits for rail commuters – opening up existing lines for new services.”

Linking Heathrow Airport into the new network could provide an alternative to thousands of short haul flights clogging up the airport and make a third runway at the London hub unnecessary, said Ms Villiers.

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