Plans for a £3bn freight railway line from the Midlands to the Channel Tunnel, which has already blighted thousands of homes in London and the Shires, came under cross-party fire in the Commons yesterday.
Conservative MPs joined Labour in attacking the privately-funded proposal for the Central Railway as financially unviable. David Lidington (C. Aylesbury) urged Railway Minister John Watts to put the plans before MPs as soon as possible “so that we can dispose of this half-baked proposal from Central Railways and send it to oblivion where it belongs.”
Lidington told the House at Question Time that Chiltern Railways had warned Central Railways’ proposals were “incompatible” with the present level of passenger services.
Watts promised that there would be a Commons debate on the issue before the summer recess on July 25. He confirmed there had been representation from Chiltern Railways about the effects of the proposal on passenger services on that line. “It seems to me that, as a matter of urgency, the Central Railway company should be in contact with Chiltern Railway to see whether they can, in fact, remove the concerns that have been expressed.”
Shadow transport secretary Clare Short said Labour was “strongly committed” to getting more freight onto rail, but believed it was better to invest about £300m to allow the West Coast Main Line to carry trailers from lorries under the piggy-back system rather than go ahead with the £3bn scheme.
She said: “We doubt that the project is financially viable and hope that the House will very shortly take the opportunity to kill off this scheme and relieve large numbers of families from great fear of blight.”
Labour’s Clive Soley (Hammersmith) said: “Isn’t it strange that this company, which is already blighting properties right from the Channel Tunnel up to the Midlands is, as far as I am able to make out, financially not viable to pay the compensation that it wil lneed to pay if the proposal doesn’t get the go-ahead.”
Watts replied that the firm was obliged to meet the full blight provisions of the law from the date of its application. MPs would have an early opportunity to decide whether the proposals should go to public inquiry or not, he added.
Conservative MPs are expected to be given a free vote on the plans when they come before the Commons.
PA News (Parliament) 09/07/96
