High Speed Rail Debate

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Department: Department for Transport

High Speed Rail

David Anderson Excerpts
Monday 28th January 2013

(11 years, 9 months ago)

Commons Chamber
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Lord McLoughlin Portrait Mr McLoughlin
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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)
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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
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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.