MINISTERS were last night under fire after blocking a new high-speed rail link to the North-East.

Support has been growing for a new London-Scotland line, linking into the region, because of the boost it could bring by slashing journey times.

But the Government said a maglev route running at up to 311mph, was too risky and costly.

The Department for Transport (DfT) also put off development of a link using conventional technology when it unveiled its long-term rail strategy.

It said speed was not a priority and a proper assessment on each inter-urban corridor was needed that also covered east-west links, road pricing and widening.

Environmental analysis favoured services at conventional speeds on reopened London-Birmingham routes, although the DfT said it was not “prudent” to commit to a preferred line while funding was not available with costs of up to £30bn.

But passengers have been promised more carriages on suburban Newcastle routes and longer TransPennine Express trains to tackle overcrowding.

Improved punctuality, new East Coast and regional trains from 2015 and regulation of saver fares and a simplified ticket system are also planned.

Other measures include £600m tackling bottlenecks at Birmingham New Street and Reading, a £5.5bn transformation of the Thameslink line through London and £150m to upgrade medium-sized stations.

Transport Secretary Ruth Kelly said the aim was to produce a railway capable of carrying double the number of passengers and twice the amount of freight by 2030 – rivaling the best in Europe.

But she hinted passengers may have to pay more, warning the funding balance between them and taxpayers would return “closer to historic levels”.

Government spending will amount to £15.3bn between 2009-14, with passenger revenue expected to total £39.2bn.

Fares currently account for around half of rail revenue, but this is predicted to rise to 75% with at least 180 million passenger journeys made a year.

Tyne Bridge David Clelland said the Government had been “singularly lacking” in vision over maglev, in which trains levitate using magnets. “It is good in parts but I am just a bit disappointed at the lack of futuristic thinking,” added the Labour MP.

Ross Smith, head of policy at the North East Chamber of Commerce, said the Government had missed an opportunity to be ambitious.

“Making it easier for people to travel around the country is one of the biggest cards Government could play in regional policy because it would make where people choose to live and work irrelevant.

“A high-speed line or even a maglev which would have shaved hours off long-distance journey times could play a crucial part in that,” he said.

Ian Walker, from campaign group Railfuture North East, said: “The better the link you have to London, the more attractive a place is to live and do business.”

Rail minister Tom Harris said the Government was “not progressing” a high-speed link but said it was leaving the option open for a future decision after 2009.

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Future of rail services in North-East

Maglev services of up to 311mph linking region to London and Scotland ruled out.

New high-speed North-South link rejected in short-term with any decision unlikely before 2012.

Programme to replace ageing Sprinter and Pacer trains on regional and rural network but new trains may not be introduced until after 2015.

No line closures up to 2014, but no new regional routes envisaged or reopenings – which could affect plans for Leamside and Ashington, Blyth and Tyne lines.

More carriages for Newcastle suburban services and longer TransPennine Express trains promised.

New East Coast trains from 2015, helping add another 70% to peak capacity.

Arriva cross-country franchise to deliver 35% more capacity on busiest stretches of network within two years.

Punctuality to rise to 92% by 2014.

Controls maintained on standard season tickets and savers to no more than 1% inflation.

Fares system simplified with four basic tickets, alongside action to cut queues, improve access to stations and passenger information.

Some medium-sized stations could be refurbished, but left to rail bosses to decide.

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'Minister must address our problems’

TRANSPORT Minister Rosie Winterton is set to visit the region after being challenged about the need for road improvements by MPs.

The news came when the minister met North-East MPs in Westminster yesterday to discuss the region’s transport needs amid on-going concern about a lack of desperately-needed upgrades.

Tyne Bridge MP David Clelland asked for the meeting and was joined by Sedgefield’s new MP, Phil Wilson. Fellow North-East MPs Nick Brown, Chris Mullin, Fraser Kemp, Kevan Jones, Denis Murphy and Roberta Blackman-Woods were also present.

Last night Mr Clelland said they had raised issues such as action over east-west links, poor connections north of Newcastle and not being properly linked into the national motorway network.

“We need the Government to accept there are problems that do need to be addressed,” he said.