A GOVERNMENT minister has said about £4bn worth of investment was planned for the region’s transport network as part of a pledge to repay former coalfield communities for “lending” the Tories their votes in last month’s election.

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps was in the North-East yesterday to see work underway on a new railway station in Horden, near Peterlee, and to visit Blyth in Northumberland to see the potential for restoring passenger services along the Ashington to Blyth line.

He said his team would look at ways to undo the damage caused by the Beeching Cuts, which saw thousands of stations in rural areas closed and the removal of many miles of railway lines, as well as carrying out highways improvements.

Mr Shapps also said he would be looking at a viability study to see if the Tyne and Wear Metro system could be extended to County Durham towns such as Consett.

The proposal was made by the new North-West Durham MP Richard Holden as one of his election pledges.

Mr Shapps said: “It is at an early stage, but my view is you have got to be able to better serve communities and you do that by extending rail, road and bus services like the Metro system out across the region.

“I am very sympathetic to Richard Holden’s idea on this and the first stage is to study the viability.

“He and I are due to meet very shortly and no doubt he will explain more about what he would like to see happen.”

Mr Shapps said the Government knew retaining electoral support in the region was crucial to new Tory MPs seeking re-election in five years’ time.

He said: “We are really serious about levelling up the North-East.

“The region is terrific and the people are terrific but it can be a bit difficult to get around.

“We understand that people have lent us their votes, and unless we are delivering we understand that people are not going to lend us their votes a second time.”

The Northern Echo:

Grant Shapps and Blyth Valley MP Ian Levy in Blyth 

The visit came after former Labour transport spokesman Lord Berkeley said Parliament was being “seriously misled” over the costs of the HS2 scheme.

The deputy chairman of the HS2 Review Panel accused those in charge of the high speed rail project of “fiddling the figures”.

It was originally expected to cost £50.1bn, but estimates by HS2 Ltd, the private company in charge of it, put the price at £88bn.

Now Lord Berkeley has said independent analysis arrives at a figure of at least £107.92bn.

Mr Shapps said the actual cost of the HS2 project is unclear and admitted its future was “in the balance”.

He said: “I am waiting for the official report and the numbers and then we can see which way we go on it.

“The review looks at all options: not doing it, doing it, changing it, and I am keen what numbers are attached when it comes to me.”

The Northern Echo:

Grant Shapps with Durham County Council leader Councillor Simon Henig in Horden

During the visit Mr Shapps met with representatives from Durham County Council, Network Rail and the North East Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) when he visited the site of the new station at Horden.

The £10.55m development on South East View will link the area into the local, regional and national rail network and support the wider regeneration of the area.

The station is expected to open to passengers in the spring, with services every hour both north and south.

Mr Shapps said: “This line will really help the local community, whether it is travelling for work or travelling for pleasure.

“It will prevent people from having to jump in the car every time they want to get somewhere, especially as not everyone has access to that.

“It will make a big difference and it’s exactly the sort of thing we’re supporting up and down the country.

“Just up the line, 200 yards or so, there was a train station cut back in the 60s so it’s great to have a new station coming here.

“This is the biggest community not served by a station that has a railway line running right the way through and I think it’s really important to get those connections back.

“I look forward to coming back, perhaps on the train next time.”