Minutes of All Party Parliamentary Group for the East Coast Main Line 4Pm, 20Th March 2018 Launch Meeting
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Minutes of All Party Parliamentary Group for the East Coast Main Line 4pm, 20th March 2018 Launch meeting In attendance: Catherine McKinnell MP (Chair) Ian Mearns MP Paula Sherriff MP Lilian Greenwood MP Rachael Maskell MP Dame Rosie Winterton MP Karen Lee MP Julian Sturdy MP John Grogan MP Baroness Maddock Baroness Harris Lord Scriven Lord Palmer Lord Bradshaw Lord Freeman William Pender – Mary Creagh MP’s office Caitlin Cannon – Sharon Hodgson MP’s office Councillor Eric Firth – West Yorkshire Combined Authority Councillor Ian Gillies – City of York Council Councillor Ralph Raynor – Stevenage Borough Council Ian Coe – Principal Transport Planner, North East Combined Authority Graham North – North Yorkshire County Council Nigel Foster – Chair of Leeds Sustainability Economy and Culture Board Rob McIntosh – Network Rail Toby Higgins – Network Rail Ed Leech – Network Rail Joe Cookson – Network Rail Arj Singh –Yorkshire Post Chair’s introduction Catherine opened the meeting and confirmed the names of the Officers elected to the group: Catherine McKinnell MP (Chair), Stephen McPartland MP, Christine Jardine MP and Martin Vickers MP (Vice Chairs). Apologies Bim Afolami MP, Kemi Badenoch MP, Mary Creagh (assistant attending on her behalf), David Davies MP, David Drew MP, Helen Goodman MP, Alistair Jack MP, Christine Jardine MP, Jo Johnson MP (Rail Minister), Victoria Prentis MP, Mark Prisk MP, Lord Ashdown, Bishop of Durham, Lord Beith, Lord Dubs, Baroness Eccles, Baroness Finlay, Baroness Goudie, Lord Inglewood, Baroness Masham, Baroness Randerson, Lord Wrigglesworth, Lord Shipley. Rob McIntosh (Managing Director, London North East Route at Network Rail) on Network Rail’s East Coast main Line route study Rob gave an overview of the need for investment on the line. Some of the points/ issues raised include: the funds allocated to the East Coast Main Line are less than those allocated to the West Coast Main Line; stakeholders are more interested in discussing HS2 than the ECML during discussions; and the current spending period is now in its final year, so there is a need to talk about this now. He also highlighted that the East Coast Main Line is among the top 3 operators, according to the passenger satisfaction survey. ECMA response In response to Rob, Ian and Graham noted the various investment opportunities that exist - stemming from the industries along the line – as well as the key problems, including infrastructure issues, and the different types of train services competing for the same space. Further discussion Questions were then taken from the floor. The worrying number of suicides on the line was raised as a key issue. Rob agreed that it was an increasing problem, and confirmed that Network Rail were spending £165,000 per month on additional security. Other questions included why the WCML has been invested in so heavily compared to the ECML, why the passenger satisfaction survey came to the result it did, and how the results of the survey are compiled. Rob said that the WCML and associated bodies all made a strong case for investment, that political alignment is essential for investment, and that the survey results are compiled independently by Transport Focus. He also noted that a similar result was identified by Which? Further points raised include insufficient car parking at Berwick-upon-Tweed station, the old carriages on trains, the lack of real leadership in this area, and the need to identify the key priorities for CP6. AOB Catherine confirmed that future speakers to be invited to the meeting include Jo Johnson MP, Transport for the North and HS2 – as well as someone to speak about the Northern Powerhouse. Other suggestions made were Transport Focus, and the operators. Actions points Date and time of next meeting to be confirmed. .