Lib Dem rail boost

12.00.00am BST (GMT +0100) Thu 18th Oct 2007

The Cross Pennine rail line could be in line to get a boost from new rail investment proposals launched by the Liberal Democrats .

Improvements to the line are among the projects listed as worthy of support from a new 'Future Transport Fund', which could deliver an extra £12 billion of investment in the rail network over the next five years. The Fund is part of radical Liberal Democrat proposals to move towards a 'carbon free' transport system.

Colne Valley Liberal Democrat Parliamentary Candidate Cllr Nicola Turner said: "This is great news for our local rail services. We have been waiting for investment in our local stations and an upgrade of rolling stock for a very long time.

"Across Britain, with increasing congestion on our roads, it is not surprising that more people are travelling on the railways than at any time since the 1940s - and in those days the network was much larger. But, overcrowding has become a massive problem at peak times. This is despite the continual rise in rail fares, while the real cost of motoring continues to fall.

"Last month, the government's rail white paper was vague and lacking in ambition. From Beeching's swingeing cuts to Thatcher's privatisation, the Conservatives have offered nothing to our rail user for generations - it was their botched and disastrous privatisation that is largely responsible for the current combination of high fares and under investment.

"By contrast, the Liberal Democrat plan announced today would double rail investment across Britain, not just improving existing services, but providing new ones, including potential new north-south and east-west lines to the high-speed standard enjoyed on the continent. And as we expand the network we would reduce the cost of fares to passengers, getting even more people onto rail and off the roads, dramatically reducing carbon emissions produced from road transport.

"The Future Transport Fund we propose will provide ring-fenced funding for the improvements that future generations need if we are to cut our carbon emissions and tackle climate change.

"We would fund it by introducing a toll on road freight - charged to foreign and UK hauliers alike - and a charge on internal air flights. Road and air transport is much more damaging to the environment than trains, and the Liberal Democrats believe this should be reflected in their relative costs."

'Towards Carbon Free Transport' is a Liberal Democrat spokespersons' paper, which forms part of wider climate change proposals, which will be debated at the party's conference in Brighton in September.