Today I was asked to give a short interview for BBC TV Look North News at our favourite haunt of Bedlington Station. The theme was whether HS2 should be cancelled in favour of funding smaller schemes like Ashington. I was careful not to express a view on HS2 (there is by the way no guarantee that if it is cancelled, the money would be released for other rail projects) but I did say the Ashington scheme is cost justified and should go ahead either way. Although my own interview was quite short, in the pre-interview discussion I stressed the need to compare the cost of rail schemes with road schemes – and I was pleased to note that before I came on air, the cost of dualling the A69 was mentioned – significantly more than the Newcastle – Ashington and Penrith – Keswick re-openings.
