MPs back speedy trains

Oct 30 2008 By Jonathan Walker

LABOUR has come out in support of high-speed rail lines in a major U-turn.

The Government announced a new inquiry into the case for high speed rail, as Transport Secretary Geoff Hoon insisted: “New lines have great potential and it is important that we start now to plan for future growth.”

Ministers have never officially ruled out building high speed rail links, but the Government’s attitude has previously been hostile to the idea.

It follows the Conservative pledge made at the party conference in Birmingham that a Tory Government would build a new line with trains running up to 190mph, which could cut journey times from London to Birmingham to 45 minutes.

The Labour leadership is also struggling to cope with a rebellion over plans to build a third runway at Heathrow Airport. Opponents, including a number of Labour MPs, have been arguing that a high speed rail service could provide an alternative solution.

A House of Commons motion signed by 78 MPs, including around 50 Labour MPs, “regrets the fact that provisions to improve high speed rail lines have not been fully explored.”