1 April 2010
More and faster trains required for East Coast
Paul Tetlaw, Chair of Transform Scotland, said:
"It will be 15 years at the very earliest before Scotland receives any benefit from new high speed lines – and even then this will be only via the West Coast route. It is therefore essential that maximum value is delivered by the ECML. This is all the more pressing given government commitments on climate change reduction and the urgent need to reduce our dependency on oil. To address these issues we need to see significant modal shifts from plane and car to train on routes such as the ECML.
"Given the collapse of the last two franchises on this route it is essential that any re-letting is on a sustainable long-term basis which delivers major benefits for passengers and the community at large. It is simply not acceptable for the Treasury to seek to milk this route to subsidise other elements of government spending."