Lord Adonis warned over high-speed rail line plans

Dec 31 2009 by Adrian Pearson, The Journal

TRANSPORT Secretary Lord Adonis has been warned he must not price the region out of a new high-speed rail line as the final report lands on his desk.

Lord Adonis is today going over the business case for a new rail route, which could see a high-speed train passing through Newcastle within two decades.

He has promised an “Easytrain” approach to pricing, but as yet no one has produced any clear indication of how cost will be kept down, and what it will mean for the rest of Britain’s much criticised rail pricing structure.

Plans formed by Government-rail company HS2 will see trains travelling at up to 250mph from London to Birmingham, a leg of the route which has won support from all the main political parties.

Which side of the country they then travel up is still open for debate, and will form a key part of the document Lord Adonis is expected to make public next Spring, around March 2010.

Three routes are thought to be under consideration, with two passing through Tyneside.

Newcastle Council leader John Shipley has helped lead a bid to bring a new route to the city and has called on Lord Adonis to offer more than just catchy slogans when it comes to rail pricing.

He told The Journal: “I have not seen any planning documents which have addressed the price structure, yet we know it is vitally important that there is a clear indication of the fares and what subsidies would be available. There is a real danger that without this the people who use the East Coast Main Line, the leisure users, the students and others who are there because they found a cheap ticket, they will be priced out.”