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Julian Huppert: Massive rail investment is a win for customers, the economy and the environment

Mon, 16 Jul 2012

Commenting on the Coalition Government’s announcement of a £9bn package of railway investment, Co-Chair of the Liberal Democrat Parliamentary Party Committee on Transport, Julian Huppert said:

“For decades our railways have been neglected. Over the last 50 years our network has halved, but since 1980 passenger journeys have doubled. The result is a less efficient and more expensive rail network than our European counterparts.

“I am delighted that the Coalition Government is doing the right thing, prioritising spending on rail to sort out this mess, despite the massive deficit.

“This investment will reduce journey times, create new services, ease over-crowding, bring down running costs, reduce the impact on the environment and generate jobs and growth across the country.

“The costs of using trains shot up under Labour and we need to continue to ensure rail transport becomes more affordable.

“Liberal Democrats believe that public transport should be sustainable, reliable and available to all. We were the first to back high-speed rail and the strongest supporters of new investment. Now we’re in Government, the country is investing more than at any time since the Victorian era.”