North alliance with Scotland jeopardised by high-speed rail snub

Sep 24 2009 by Adrian Pearson, The Journal

A VITAL rail alliance with Scottish ministers could be in tatters after high speed planners bypassed the North East.

Leading figures in the campaign to bring a high speed rail link to Newcastle are continuing to look to Scotland for help despite the Government being urged to take the line up the west coast.

Civic leaders here have been in detailed discussions with their counterparts north of the border for at least a year as they tried to present the Government with a united front and force civil servants to back a route up the east Coast.

But senior North East transport officials now believe their argument could have been made unwinnable after Network Rail told their Edinburgh counterparts they are more likely to be included in a west coast route.

One Government officer told The Journal he could see how Network Rail “must have thought they could weaken the North East case by splitting the new line north of Carlisle” and offering Scotland two routes without having to go via Newcastle.

Both Network Rail and transport think tank Greengauge21 dealt a damaging blow to the region’s hopes after advising Government ministers to build a line away from the North East up to Edinburgh and Glasgow.

A bid to ensure the line comes through Newcastle, and with it £2.2bn in business growth, was based in part on the region’s links to Scotland.

Mick Henry, chair of the Association of North East Councils, has led the region’s push for high speed rail.

He has insisted the proposals put forward so far are not the only options, and that the case can still be made for a Newcastle route.