AN MP has said the North-East has been "totally ignored once again" in a Government consultation on rail travel.

The Government is consulting on future Northern and TransPennine franchises which start in February 2016.

Plans have already been unveiled for major improvements to Manchester train stations and the possibility of electrification of the railway lines to York or Leeds has been raised.

But Andy McDonald, Labour MP for Middlesbrough, said the North-East and especially the Tees Valley is being “totally ignored.”

In a written response he pointed to an Institute of Institute of Public Policy Research report which showed that for nearly £3,000 spent per person on transport in London and the South-East just £5 is spent in the North-East.

He also said current TransPennine trains were “third rate,” any investment in the North-East was confined to the Tyne and Wear Metro and the current franchise plans were likely to lead to ticket office closures and price hikes for customers. Stopping electrification at York or Leeds would also reduce the region to being left with mere “shuttle services to the 21st Century.”

Speaking to The Northern Echo he said: “I went to one presentation about rail with the secretary of Transport about this and all I could see on the screen was an arrow pointing North-East. That was our only mention. I went beserk. There’s nothing for us, despite the fact that we’re the only region outside London actually with a positive contribution to GDP. It’s like the North doesn’t exist at all outside the M62 corridor.”

Mr McDonald said he had sympathy with The Hannah Mitchell Foundation which campaigns for the North to have a regional Government. The Foundation has appealed directly to the Labour Party to promise to make changes if elected to the franchise to include new trains which it says should be made in the north.

A Department for Transport spokesman said major investment was planned for Northern railways, but also he conceded a ‘Northern hub’ would be centred on Manchester. He said: "As part of our plans, we have asked passengers what they would like to see from these new franchises. This will allow us to plan the best way forward so we can deliver a world-class network that drives long-term economic growth across the region.”

Companies will be chosen to run the new rail franchises in the coming year.