A far reaching campaign to improve rail links in the region has been set in motion by the North East England Chamber of Commerce.
The chamber – the region’s largest business organisation – has launched the long-term campaign Fast Track East Coast, amid moves to boost the East Coast mainline.
It says improvements to the mainline are vital if the North East is to benefit from the planned HS2 and Northern Powerhouse Rail projects, but also stresses that this is a long-term exercise that is unlikely to bear fruit in the short term, saying it could be five years before we see results thanks to the long timescales rail investment requires.
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Fast Track East Coast highlights how rail services in the region are often cancelled or delayed, due to there only being one line north and one line south between Northallerton, Newcastle and Berwick.
The campaign’s point was proven on its first day, when commuters were subjected to major disruption caused by damage to overhead wires between Durham and Darlington.
With a long lead-time on its campaign, the Chamber has issued a call out to firms, commuters and other travellers in the North East to get in touch and give evidence of how East Coast mainline problems have impacted upon their companies.
Jonathan Walker, the Chamber’s assistant director for policy, said the organisation wants to ensure Ministers cannot ignore calls for investment, and produce results as they did amid a strategy that triggered investment in new trains for the Tyne and Wear Metro.
Mr Walker said: “On the whole, we do enjoy good connectivity north and south... but such is the fragility of the network that it only takes a minor issue to have major repercussions.
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“Capacity issues on the line are already constraining growth. With a predicted increase in demand for long-distance rail services in the years to come, this fragility is likely to be exposed even further.
“Significant upgrades to the line are needed to ensure it can both continue to serve the needs of our businesses and act as a catalyst for investment and regeneration.
“That is why the Chamber is launching a major campaign to secure that investment and ensure that Government and Network Rail place East Coast mainline at the top of their list of priorities.
“The Fast Track East Coast campaign will highlight how valuable rail connectivity is to our businesses and our region; showcasing the firms that rely on ageing infrastructure to meet clients, travel between sites and move their products, as well as raising awareness of what needs to be done to preserve and improve the connections in and out of the North East.”
The Chamber campaign follows the launch of the Power Up the North campaign by newspapers across the North, a drive to force all the political parties to commit to closing the North-South divide.