Chloe’s rail campaign success

Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin has announced that Government will support the key recommendations of the Great Eastern Main Line Taskforce’s report. The report calls for greater investment to create a faster, more efficient rail service between Norwich and London.

Chloe has led this campaign since the start and is co-chair of the taskforce whose work has been endorsed today, having steered the report to the Chancellor for his decision this week, in the Autumn Statement.  The government this week has committed to these rail improvements and road improvements too for Norfolk.

This announcement puts the Great Eastern Mainline on course to become a world-class high-performing railway and is a massive achievement for our rail campaign and a great vote of confidence in the future of our region.

Announcing the win, the Transport Secretary said:

“We know East Anglia’s growing economy needs a better rail service. Part of this Government’s long term economic plan is to ensure growth and prosperity for the region and for the nation as a whole.  We’re already investing more than £38bn in our rail network over the next five years. There are improvements on the way for East Anglia thanks to £170m of track and signalling upgrades next year, and we’ve agreed improvements to services with the existing Abellio Greater Anglia franchise.

“I am very grateful to the Great Eastern Main Line Taskforce and the Norwich in 90 campaign for their analysis of what needs to be done to help deliver world-class rail services for East Anglia, including better infrastructure and state-of the-art rolling stock. I am delighted to say we are going to support the key recommendations of the Task Force report.  This Government is sending a clear signal to prospective bidders for the next franchise that they will need to show how they will build a better rail network for East Anglia and make Norwich in 90 a reality.”

Chloe Smith said:

“I am delighted that the rail campaign I've led for years now has succeeded with the Chancellor agreeing our call for action on the Norwich to London line. This will achieve a massive result for East Anglia, and bring thousands of jobs to the area. On behalf of the thousands of passengers who are part of this campaign, this is the fair deal we need.  It’s only been possible through hard work.”

Mark Pendlington, chairman of New Anglia LEP and co-chair with Chloe of the Great Eastern Main Line Taskforce said:

“This is a massive achievement for our rail campaign and yet another vote of confidence for the future of our region. The voices of many thousands of rail passengers and businesses across Norfolk, Suffolk and Essex have been heard, loud and clear. George Osborne has rightly recognised that investment is vital for our economic growth and I am delighted that the Government is now going to do something about it.  Our ambitions are clear; to make this one of the best regions in the UK to invest, bring jobs and increase skills. Key to that success is a mobile economy, today’s announcement brings us a major step forward to that goal and reinvigorates everything we have campaigned so hard for.  This is the best result we have ever had for the Great Eastern Main Line and it is all down to the power of effective collaboration with passengers, businesses, local authorities, MPs and education leaders, working together to put a compelling case across. I would like to thank them all for their fantastic efforts throughout the year.”

Read the Taskforce’s full report here:  http://www.newanglia.co.uk/find-out-about-us/campaigns-to-unlock-barriers-to-growth/gerailcampaign/.