Press Release – 23^rd September 2010

“Green Party to stop supporting rail travel as a more environmentally friendly for of transport” bizarre” says MEP Brian Simpson

Labour's Transport Spokesman and Chair of the European Parliament's Transport Committee, Brian Simpson, has described as "bizarre" a decision by the Green Party to stop supporting rail travel as a more environmentally friendly form of transport.

Meeting in Birmingham the Greens have decided to drop their support for high speed rail and concentrate on a policy of reduced travel for all, a concept which Mr Simpson has called "naive and unrealistic." This means the Green Party no longer support a High Speed line to Manchester or the upgrading of the Trans Pennine route from Liverpool.

"This is a bizarre decision by the Greens which flies in the face of common sense and puts them totally at odds with what their colleagues in the European Parliament have been campaigning on for years. This is a naive and unrealistic policy to adopt which will be welcomed with open arms by the road lobby", said Mr Simpson.

The Greens are claiming that building new high speed rail lines will add to global warming and damage the environment a claim Mr Simpson says is nonsense and out of touch with reality.

"In this modern day people have to travel to work and to do business. The reality is we need to encourage people to do that more by public transport than by private car. In this regard railways are a crucial element. For the Greens to withdraw support for railways and to demand that people travel less is nonsense and out of touch with reality. This is an own goal of classic proportions, said Mr Simpson.

Throughout the North West passenger groups and businesses have been calling for more investment in our railway network as a way of stimulating our local economy, protecting jobs and reducing CO2 emissions, a view which according to Mr Simpson the Greens have abandoned.

"It saddens me when throughout the region people see there is a need to invest in our railways even at this time of economic recession and government cuts. Yet the Green Party decide to abandon its support for our railways and merely lectures people to travel less," said Mr Simpson.