MP welcomes high speed rail link

WARRINGTON South MP David Mowat has welcomed Transport Secretary Justine Greening’s announcement that a new high speed rail line linking London with Birmingham and, eventually, the North West is to be built.
Independent forecasts suggest that the line could add an additional £8 billion to the regional economy and create around 40,000 jobs in the North West.
Mr Mowat has been a prominent supporter of HS2 rail link in Parliament and has continually spoken in favour of the project in debates in the House of Commons and also on national TV and radio.
HS2 has also received backing from a number of business organisations in the region, including the Warrington Chamber of Commerce and the borough council passed a motion in support of the project in 2010.
Mr Mowat said: “Today’s announcement is excellent news for the North West. The West Coast Main Line will reach maximum capacity within the next few years and we need a bold and transformative solution.
“Commuters travelling from Warrington to London could benefit as soon as the Birmingham line is completed and connected to the West Coast Line as “inter-operable” trains will be able to use the new HS2 line to Birmingham before transferring to the old line to get to Warrington and all stations north to Glasgow.
“However, more important than that is the message the Coalition Government are sending out. Despite the state of the public finances, the Government is still prepared to invest large amounts of money on projects that can bring prosperity and jobs to the English regions.
The figures show that in the final year of the Labour government, capital spending on transport in London was nearly four times higher than in the North West – that is a disgrace and it needs sorting.”
Picture: Mr Mowat with Warrington-based businessman Pete Waterman, another HS2 supporter.