Tories fail to guarantee direct link

Jonathan Reed Political Editor

THE Tories will not guarantee voters at the general election that Yorkshire will get a direct high-speed rail line to London – without going via Manchester – but insist their route will be “hugely important” for the region.

Shadow Transport Secretary Theresa Villiers told the Yorkshire Post that the party’s only “concrete, costed commitment” is a 250mph line from London to Birmingham, Manchester then Leeds, although she said it was an “aspiration” to develop a wider network.

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The pledge will do little to ease concerns from those in the region who are not satisfied with a route going to the North-West first, but – with the Government due to unveil its proposals for high-speed rail by the end of the month – Ms Villiers insisted the Tories have a “bigger vision” than Labour on high-speed rail.

She also played down fears the project could be delayed because of the recession by insisting there is a “very very compelling economic case” for it.

Despite clashing with Ms Villiers last week over the issue, Transport Secretary Lord Adonis told the Yorkshire Post he believes a political consensus can still be reached on developing a high-speed route, and says he has already agreed key principles on the future development with the Liberal Democrats.

The unveiling of the Tory route proposal in 2008 sparked cross-party backing for high-speed rail. Later this month the Government is expected to unveil a detailed route for a line from London to the Midlands and propose a wider network including Yorkshire.

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Lord Adonis argues a consensus is vital for the project to advance because it will take 15 years to develop, but with Ms Villiers insisting she will not be bound by the route they unveil there seems little chance of a united front in time for the election, expected in May.

“I know there’s a strong feeling in Yorkshire that often they’ve had a very raw deal on transport and I think taking high-speed rail to Yorkshire would be hugely beneficial for the regional economy, not just in terms of connectivity with the south but also connections between Manchester and Leeds,” she said.

She said the Tory line would be “stage one” of a UK network, adding: “In the future we would like to see that extended north to Scotland – it is our aspiration to do that, we think it’s very important to do that in the future – but in terms of our concrete, costed commitment it’s London to Birmingham to Manchester to Leeds.” She said a direct link from London to Leeds “certainly shouldn’t be ruled out” in the future, but admitted there was “always going to be controversy about where a route goes”.

Ms Villiers said she would “judge on its merit” the report – to be released alongside Labour’s proposals – by experts from the High Speed Two company set up by the Government and admitted “there may be elements” they could use, but she has declined to see a copy before its official release.

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She also sought to play down fears that building a high-speed network could fall victim to cuts in transport spending after the election, saying the lengthy planning process and construction time would mean major spending does not come for several years and there was a “pressing need” for the infrastructure.

n Passengers could be forced to use ageing carriages on the East Coast main line for years longer after a 7bn deal to order new “super-express” trains was delayed, Lord Adonis admitted.

A value for money assessment is being carried out, and he said one “clear alternative” was to prolong the life of the existing trains.

He also suggested that the Department for Transport will put off a decision about whether Humber Bridge tolls can be cut until after the election.

Comment: Page 14.