HALIFAX TO LONDON RAIL LINK

That this House supports the Grand Northern Railway Company's bid to run direct train services from Halifax and other major West Yorkshire towns and cities to London; urges the Office of Rail Regulation to give Grand Northern's proposals the green light when it makes its decision in the coming week; notes the success stories and benefits that other towns like Sunderland, Hartlepool, Hull and Wrexham have had from a direct service to London; further notes the economic and social benefits that the direct service would bring to the Halifax area, including the creation of 50 new jobs in West Yorkshire; welcomes the fact that the new service would take thousands of cars off the roads every year; acknowledges the hard work of Grand Northern in preparing this excellent bid; further notes that as the necessary paths are available on the East Coast Main Line there are no sensible reasons why this bid should be rejected; and looks forward to towns and cities like Halifax, Bradford and Pontefract being put on the main line railway map.