Friends of the Earth Birmingham Action Briefing Dec 97/Jan 98

Labouring

Journalist Alastair McLellan, writing in November's New Civil Engineer Regenerating Railways Supplement has raised an issue likely to embarrass New Labour. He states 'it will be interesting to see how Prescott squares the upgrade of the West Coast Main line with the billion pounds worth of improvements between Manchester and Birmingham included in the Department of Transport's programme. The road schemes are the logical development of the Birmingham Northern Relief Road and their abandonment would simply see congestion shoved further up the M6. They would also, of course, serve as a powerful competitor to the new West Coast Main Line, particularly when it came to Freight transport.' His words, not those of FoE.

JD