High Speed Rail

Jim Cunningham Excerpts
Monday 28th January 2013

(11 years, 3 months ago)

Commons Chamber
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Lord McLoughlin Portrait Mr McLoughlin
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I agree completely with my hon. Friend. Those announcements show the Government’s commitment to the rail industry and to the railway services that we all want in our constituencies.

Jim Cunningham Portrait Mr Jim Cunningham (Coventry South) (Lab)
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Will the Secretary of State say how major cities such as Coventry will benefit from this project, bearing in mind the representations that I made to him some weeks ago on that matter? Secondly, and more importantly, there will inevitably be people who fall outside the compensation formula. What does he intend to do about that, because I know of cases in Coventry and Warwickshire?

Lord McLoughlin Portrait Mr McLoughlin
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I am willing to listen to any representations, but a line has to be drawn somewhere on such developments. I think that Coventry will be served by the large station at the Birmingham International exchange before the line goes into Birmingham Curzon Street. It is up to Coventry to work with the Department to work out the best possible routes to link in with the line so that people in Coventry have the advantage of HS2.