Nicholas Craig column

Apr 13 2007 By Nicholas Craig, The Journal

Bring on the Maglev. Our long push for better roads, faster and more frequent rail, and much improved public transport shows little sign of dinting southern slanted transport policies.

A British version of France's new, terrifyingly fast train previewed last week would make a significant difference to the chances of investment from the South-East to the North-East. If you could commute in two hours or less from Newcastle to London, you would beat many employees on their daily trudge from the home counties to the capital.

There's a strong case to introduce super speedy trains or even magnetic levitation to the East Coast line, but it's not one that the cautious Sir Rod Eddington feels inclined to take. His report on transport suggests longer trains as a possible answer to bridge the North-South divide. We need a much more radical approach than Eddington's if regional regeneration is to be taken seriously.

Meanwhile, GNER has decided `if you can't beat them, join them', teaming up with Virgin and Stagecoach to bid for the same route it gave up in 2006. I'm delighted. GNER is miles ahead of its competitors with its service, food and focus on the customer. A joint bid offers us continuity, and protects jobs. GNER's financial problems, some a direct result of it bidding so highly for the East Coast line franchise the first time round, have not diluted its ability to provide a comfortable, pleasant journey. What we need to improve is reliability, frequency and, of course, speed.

As with rail, so with roads. The failure to dual the A1 remains a huge thorn in the flesh for all of us commuting up and down our clogged arterial roads. The Scottish Parliament has identified the A1 as its main 21st Century transport route between Scotland and England. Its National Planning Framework says that the key corridor of the A1 requires improved links. What the Scottish Executive plainly sees as a priority is not yet a focus of the Highways Agency.

We have given the Government the facts, and reinforced them with unified messages from the region's business organisations and communities.

We must carry on pushing for major investment in our transport despite the lukewarm response from London. Easy, quicker access to the region will open up rewarding routes to major investment, many more jobs and thousands of tourists in the North-East.