Chipping Barnet MP THERESA VILLIERS says high-speed train links will benefit people in the borough

It was a relief to get back to Barnet last week after a hectic few days at the Conservative Party conference in Birmingham.

Naturally, the banking crisis overshadowed the conference and much of our discussion focused on that and how to help families cope with the rising costs of living, particularly energy prices.

However, we felt it was important to press ahead with ideas and proposals on other important issues too. Crucial issues affecting quality of life and our environment still need to be addressed, even in difficult economic times.

So last week, I announced that if we win the next General Election, a Conservative government would give the go ahead for a new high-speed rail link from London to Birmingham, Manchester and Leeds. We believe that this will have three hugely important benefits.

We need to take radical action to tackle the rail overcrowding crisis as some lines now run at 170 per cent of their intended capacity. Our proposal will relieve nightmare levels of overcrowding on our existing lines by freeing up space for more commuter services.

A new high-speed rail link would also bring major economic benefits to the UK as a whole. These have been estimated at around £60 billion for a high-speed network across the country. And it will help balance our economy by bringing the Midlands and the North into the South-East growth zone, helping take the pressure off land and housing in areas like Barnet.

And the environmental benefits are clear. Eighty minutes on the train from London to Manchester — city centre to city centre — compares very well to sitting in traffic for hours on some of the most congested motorways in Europe. So our proposals could take thousands of car journeys off the roads to help tackle congestion and pollution.

Not only that, a high-speed rail link to the North, connecting with the Channel Tunnel, could provide a viable and attractive alternative to thousands of flights now clogging up Heathrow. So our plan would relieve overcrowding at the airport without the environmental impact of building a third runway, which could do so much to undermine the quality of life of people living in London with increased levels of aircraft noise.

Moreover, by providing a realistic rail alternative to many carbon intensive short-haul flights, the Conservatives are making it much easier for people to make greener transport choices.

Our decision to say no to a third runway at Heathrow was praised by leading environmental groups last weekend as “a moment when our political leaders faced up to the urgency of action on climate change”.