Politicians campaign for improved East Coast Main Line service
POLITICIANS from different parties have agreed to work together and campaign for a better service on the East Coast Main Line.
Newcastle MP Catherine McKinnell is to chair the new All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on the East Coast Main Line, which was launched in Westminster yesterday afternoon. The Labour MP is joined by Conservatives and Liberal Democrats from both the House of Commons and the House of Lords.
They will work together to try to secure investment in the East Coast Main Line, in order to create a service which is more reliable, has less crowding on trains and offers shorter journey times.
Ms McKinnell said: “The East Coast Main Line is one of the UK’s most strategic transport routes, yet for far too long it has suffered from a lack of investment, poor reliability and the continued failure of different operators to manage the franchise properly – save for the period when it was operated publicly.
“The communities, and local businesses, served by the East Coast route deserve so much better, and this new APPG will provide an important platform for MPs and Peers to campaign together to secure muchneeded improvements on their behalf.”
As well as calling for improvements to the line, the group will highlight the economic growth that could be unlocked in the areas served by the route if improvements are delivered.