LONDON TO LEEDS RAIL SERVICES

Motion Text

That this House notes with concern the preliminary decision of the Office of Rail Regulation to reject GNER's track access application to operate 12 extra services, creating a half-hourly service from London to Leeds; recognises the significant positive impact that this proposed improvement in services to Leeds, Wakefield and Doncaster would make to the regional economy of West and South Yorkshire; accepts that, as a vital part of the nation's infrastructure, increased services on the East Coast Main Line operated by GNER also would have benefited the East Midlands, London and the South East; further notes that implementing a half-hourly London-Leeds service has been a Government objective since 2001; further notes that the proposed additional services were a cornerstone of GNER's franchise agreement with the Government, under which the train operator is contracted to pay the Treasury £1.3bn in premium payments over the 10-year course of the franchise; acknowledges the widespread dismay this decision has prompted from local government, the business community, regional bodies and transport groups in West and South Yorkshire; and calls on the Office of Rail Regulation to reconsider its decision and to approve GNER's application at the earliest opportunity.