Bruce joins original 'Railway Child' Agutter to seek rail improvements in North East

11.04.22am UTC (GMT +0000) Fri 29th Jun 2007

Transport 2000 are campaigning for improved rail services across the UK

Malcolm Bruce MP has joined forces with campaign group Transport 2000 and actress Jenny Agutter in calling on the Government and Scottish Executive to improve and expand services for rail passengers.

Focussing on the need for rail improvements in the North East, Mr Bruce has written to the new Transport Ministers in Holyrood and Westminster, Stewart Stevenson MSP and Ruth Kelly MP to press for improvements in rail services in the North East.

The MP for Gordon said:

"I have written to Ruth Kelly MP and Stewart Stevenson MSP to ask how their respective departments plan to work together to improve rail services in the North East of Scotland both at a cross-border level with links to Edinburgh and London, as well as other parts of the UK and also at a local level.

"We need a commitment that mainline East Coast services to Aberdeen will be maintained and indeed improved before the Secretary of State considers the bids for the Intercity East Coast franchise over the summer.

"I was also disappointed and concerned that in his statement earlier in the week, the Scottish Transport Minister made no reference to rail services in Aberdeenshire and I am anxious to know when we might expect firmer details about plans for Crossrail in Aberdeen. A frequent, cross-city rail service between Inverurie, Aberdeen and Stonehaven, coupled with new stations, particularly in Kintore, will be crucial to commuters and to the development of local economies."

Jenny Agutter, Transport 2000's patron, who is fronting a national campaign said:

"Rail use by passengers and for freight is having a real renaissance and is at its highest level since the 1950s, and still rising. This is great news - but the rail network and number of services has not expanded to keep up with demand. The Government will be issuing a rail strategy this summer which must place growing the railways at its heart. "