RAIL IN THE NORTH

That this House supports the formation of Rail in the North All Party Parliamentary Group; recognises that the North of England is highly dependent on its railways to support jobs and economic growth; recognises that there has been significant under investment in the North's railways compared to other parts of the country; further recognises that the most pressing issue relates to increasing rail rolling stock in the North to meet demand; further recognises that the Northern Hub strategy put forward by Network Rail will address significant capacity constraints in the North and deliver over 4 billion in benefits; notes that overall public spending on transport in the North is 262 per head compared to 641 per head for London; further notes that the overcrowding on peak hour trains into the main urban centres is above 50 per cent. in many cases; further notes that Northern Rail has received less than five per cent. of the trains promised in the 2007 rail White Paper and that the Inter City Express Programme has been put on hold; and calls on the Government to recognise the importance of railways for the North's economy and to provide the North with its fair share of rail investment to support private sector led economic recovery and growth.