Norman Baker MP Member of Parliament for Lewes constituency
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Norman Baker,
23 East Street,
Lewes,
East Sussex,
BN7 2LJ.
Tel: (01273) 480281.
Fax: (01273) 480287.
Email: info
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MP secures promise from government to consider re-opening Lewes Uckfield line
Local Lib Dem MP Norman Baker yesterday secured a guarantee from Transport Minister, Tom Harris MP, that the re-opening of the Lewes-Uckfield line will be seriously considered by the government.
At question time in the House of Commons, the local MP, quizzed the Minister over government support for the proposal to re-open the line, which is backed by a strong cross-party group of local MPs and a professional board, which includes members of Network Rail.
The Minister promised to look at the proposal in detail if a robust business case for the re-opening of the line could be put forward and said he would consider the provision of extra finance to make the line operational providing there was a value-for-money case for doing so.
Commenting, Norman said:
"The case for re-opening the Lewes-Uckfield line is overwhelming and I am very pleased to have secured a guarantee from the Minister that the government will seriously consider the proposal.
"Any rational national transport policy would have already re-opened the line but the Labour Government has been blindly building scores of new roads at the expense of the development of the railway. The government still seems strangely fixed on the idea that money spent on roads is investment while money spent on rail is subsidy.
"Re-opening the Lewes-Uckfield line would have significant social, economic and environmental benefits for local people. This is why I am particularly pleased that the Government has undertaken to consider the proposal carefully and why I will continue to campaign on the issue until the Government sees sense and the line is re-opened."