High Speed Rail Debate

Full Debate: Read Full Debate
Department: Department for Transport

High Speed Rail

David Anderson Excerpts
Monday 28th January 2013

(11 years, 11 months ago)

Commons Chamber
Read Full debate Read Hansard Text Read Debate Ministerial Extracts
Lord McLoughlin Portrait Mr McLoughlin
- Hansard - - - Excerpts

I very much hope so. My hon. Friend makes a point about the important need for greater capacity, and I will look in great detail at how the issue may affect his constituents.

David Anderson Portrait Mr David Anderson (Blaydon) (Lab)
- Hansard - -

Without any three-lane motorway north of north Yorkshire, and with a dual carriageway that ends just north of Newcastle, the north-east has the worst road system in the country. We are now being told that we will also have a second-rate railway system. Does the Secretary of State agree that the best we are going to get in the north-east is HS1.5?

Lord McLoughlin Portrait Mr McLoughlin
- Hansard - - - Excerpts

I am sorry that the hon. Gentleman feels that way. We have just announced a major investment in dualling the A1 up to Newcastle, and I will look at other schemes in due course.