Business chiefs urge action over 'crucial' fast rail link

Published on Monday 4 October 2010 17:26

Business leaders today urged the SNP and Conservatives to work together to ensure Scotland is not left behind when Britain builds its high-speed rail link.

The UK's Tory Transport Secretary, Philip Hammond, has come under fire after leaving Scotland out of his plans, which he announced at the party's conference in Birmingham.

The proposed high-speed line would link London to Birmingham, then split into two - one line to Leeds, the other to Manchester - before returning trains to the main east and west coast main lines.

The decision to leave Edinburgh out of the plans has prompted dire warnings about the consequences for the Capital and the rest of the country.

City business leaders urged the Nationalists and Conservatives to bury any differences and ensure they found a way of bringing the line north.

Graham Birse, deputy chief executive of Edinburgh Chamber of Commerce, said high-speed rail was "crucial" to a sustainable future economy for Scotland.

Before the election, when business leaders discussed the issue with senior Tory William Hague, he said any extension to Scotland would require an agreement with the Scottish Government over funding, said Mr Birse.

"It is perhaps now an opportunity for some statesmanship to emerge from both Westminster and Holyrood and for a deal to be brokered to make sure Scotland is not left at the end of the line," he added.

Edinburgh West Liberal Democrat MP Mike Crockart said he would be "very disappointed" if the idea of extending a high-speed line to Scotland had been dropped.

He pledged to carry on campaigning for the link from inside the Tory-Lib Dem coalition.

He said a high-speed line to Scotland could reduce the Edinburgh to London journey time to less than three hours.

"That would make a huge difference to a lot of the internal flights currently taken. It would open up a whole lot of green travel options to hundreds of thousands of people every week.

"The economic benefits of high-speed rail increase the further away from London you get because the potential savings in time are that much greater. It brings in the possibility of more companies being based in the north of England and Scotland."

Labour's Mark Lazarowicz, MP for Edinburgh North & Leith, said it would be "extremely bad news for Scotland" if the high-speed line only went as far as Leeds and Manchester.

He said: "We want to make sure the link comes right the way to Edinburgh. It is important Scottish MPs of all parties, as well as MSPs and councillors, lobby to ensure the line doesn't stop in the north of England."

Mr Lazarowicz said there was no reason why work on the line should not start at both ends.

"It's clearly a project of many years, but that's no reason why it should just slowly make its way north from London."