YOUR article "Government blocks bid for high-speed rail link" (Echo, Oct 31) failed to acknowledge that the Department for Transport announcement - Towards a Sustainable Transport System - does provide an opportunity for the North-East to make its case on highspeed rail and other transport developments.

A consultation process on the proposals will start next year, leading to a White Paper. This marks the start of a wider transport debate and it is up to the region to seize this opportunity by inputting into the consultation and submitting our evidence for investment priorities.

With strategic responsibility for this area soon to be given to One NorthEast, one of our first actions will be an assessment of our transport infrastructure, examining our international links, links between the region and London, Scotland and the west of the country, and links within our region.

One NorthEast, working through the Northern Way collaboration, has already identified that high-speed rail does deliver strong economic benefits. We will continue to build on this work and anticipate making a fuller response during next year's consultation.

While work is in hand towards preparing evidence and individual business cases for specific projects, the region still needs to develop the wider coherent case for investment in time to respond to the forthcoming consultations.

Tom Warburton, Head of Environment and Infrastructure, One NorthEast, Newcastle.