London To Leeds Rail Services

EDM number 1549 in 2005-06, proposed by Mary Creagh on 01/02/2006.

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.

This motion has been signed by a total of 50 MPs, 1 of these signatures have been withdrawn.