(Gateshead) (Lab):...It
would be remiss of me not to mention the Great Exhibition of the
North, which launches on 22 June—next Friday—in Newcastle and
Gateshead, with the great opening ceremony happening on the
Gateshead side of the river. At the moment, however, we have a
problem with rail services in the north of England. Many people
wanting to get to the venues for the exhibition will have to rely
on Northern Rail and Transpennine Express—I hope it stays fine
for them—but the services are dreadful at the moment. Last
Sunday, I travelled from Newcastle to Southport for a speaking
engagement and it took me almost six hours. It can be done in two
and half hours by car. We need urgent intervention so that people
can actually get to the exhibition.
(Leader of the
House): First, may I say good luck to all those taking
part in the Great Exhibition of the North? It sounds like an
amazing opportunity for local businesses and the community to
come together. The hon. Gentleman will be aware that the
Transport Secretary is doing everything possible to sort out the
appalling situation with Northern Rail, and he believes and is
reporting that the situation is improving. The hon. Gentleman
will also be aware that the great north rail project means an
investment of more than £1 billion designed to deliver space for
40,000 more passengers and over 2,000 more services a week, but
nevertheless there can be no excuses for what has happened in
recent weeks, which has been just appalling.
