The Times today reports a call from Network Rail Chief Executive Iain Coucher for Britain to build a £50bn high-speed rail network by 2020. Capacity on most intercity routes is due to run out by 2015.
After the Rugby debacle, passenger groups understandably want Network Rail to concentrate on maintaining the current network rather than lobbying for the building of new lines.
However Coucher's call should be heeded. Britain's competitiveness cannot be safeguarded by expansion of road and air travel alone. Labour have kicked the issue into touch, refusing to decide on new lines until 2012. As I argued last year, that leaves the Conservatives with a great opportunity to champion the new transport infrastructure Britain so badly needs. Using new high-speed lines to help bridge the growing north-south divide is right on environmental and economic grounds, and could yield siginficant electoral dividends for our party.
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