WOODHEAD LINE AND THE TRANS-PENNINE RAIL LINKS

That this House supports the opening of negotiations between Network Rail, National Grid and the Department for Transport regarding future uses of the Woodhead tunnels; believes that it would be a seriously retrograde step if the 1953 tunnel were to be lost for rail use at a time when the demand for new rail capacity is greater than ever; further believes that a new trans-Pennine link, based on the Woodhead line, would benefit the economy of the North to the tune of £10 billion per annum; and calls on the Government to make Crossrail for the North a priority project alongside High Speed Rail Two.