Transport system 'faces meltdown'

There are fears congestion is costing the North East jobs

The transport network in the North East of England could become "paralysed" unless urgent action is taken, engineers have warned.

According to a report by the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE), roads and railways are already operating at near capacity.

It warned that without significant investment the system faces meltdown.

But the Department of Transport said that there had been a 30% rise in spending in the past five years.

The ICE report calls for an upgrade of the A1 north of Newcastle and improving capacity on the East Coast Main Line as well as local rail lines.

'Cherry picking'

It also urges regional leaders to plan a local strategy for the next 30 years, to be implemented at five to 10-year intervals.

Greg Lutton, regional chairman of ICE, described the North East as the Cinderella of transport policy, with the last major investment being the completion of Newcastle's Western Bypass in 1991.

He said: "It's in no-one's interest to retain highly congested roads.

Good local transport is vital Department of Transport

"Clearly it is costing us jobs.

"If we are finding ourselves hamstrung by our inability to improve our transport then the jobs and business will not come.

"There's been a very good settlement recently for the Tyne and Wear Metro system, but this is just one of our public transport linkages.

"It's not just about cherry picking the ones which are easiest to publicise, it's about looking in a coherent fashion at a long-term plan and then deciding what we can do to take the thing forwards."

The Department of Transport said in a statement: "Good local transport is vital.

"This is why just a couple of months ago we announced £400m to help pay for major work on the Tyne and Wear Metro and a new river crossing in Sunderland, and why more than £620m was dedicated to transport in the North East last year.

"This represents a 30% rise on spending over the last five years."