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GTMC frustrated by rail improvement delays
Travel management companies have berated the UK Government for not keeping its promise over national rail improvements.
Transport secretary Patrick McLoughlin has admitted plans to modernise parts of Network Rail will be delayed due to rising costs.
He blamed Network Rail, saying its ‘unacceptable performance’ meant the original five-year plan was not going to achieved in that time frame.
"This news is incredibly frustrating not just for business travellers based in the North of England but for those across the UK with a commercial interest in the region who were expecting Network Rail and the Government to keep their promises on modernisation plans," said GTMC chief executive Paul Wait.
Under the revised plans, some projects will be put on ‘pause’, including the electrification of the Midland mainline between London and Sheffield and on the Trans-Pennine route between Leeds and Manchester.
But the government said electrification of the Great Western line from London to Swansea remains a ‘top priority’.
"The GTMC welcomes the upgrade of the Great Western Mainline but questions how much longer the modernisation of Britain’s railways will be constantly held back by political, operational and financial mismanagement," said Wait.
"For the UK economy to grow in the 21st century it needs a modern rail network to match. This requires investment and action in the short term so that we can reap the economic benefits in the long term."
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Bev
Editor in chief Bev Fearis has been a travel journalist for 25 years. She started her career at Travel Weekly, where she became deputy news editor, before joining Business Traveller as deputy editor and launching the magazine’s website. She has also written travel features, news and expert comment for the Guardian, Observer, Times, Telegraph, Boundless and other consumer titles and was named one of the top 50 UK travel journalists by the Press Gazette.
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