Serving the Teesside Business Community | 35
Middlesbrough MP Andy
McDonald, the Labour Party’s
new shadow rail minister.
Hitachi’s new £82m
train-assembling factory
in Newton Aycliffe.
We’re on track for
transformation
Tees Business speaks to Middlesbrough MP Andy McDonald, who has joined Labour
leader Jeremy Corbyn’s front bench as the new shadow rail minister
Tees Business: Having led calls to
reintroduce the direct rail line between
Middlesbrough and the capital, you must be
delighted to be in a position to influence the
planned direct service as part of the East
Coast Mainline franchise?
Andy McDonald: I can’t take it from just a
purely Teesside perspective, but there are
major improvements that we need to see
and greater connectivity across our major
conurbations is absolutely key. Additional
services including a direct service between
Middlesbrough and London is right up there
as one of the most important ones because
we are the largest conurbation across the
entire UK without a direct service to the
capital. We’ve got to put that right.
I lobbied very hard and made the case
consistently about the gross value added to
Middlesbrough that it would bring, which
is very significant tens of thousands per
annum. It will be an incredible catalyst for our
economy in Middlesbrough and the wider
Tees Valley. It will be transformational.
The spec is for seven services out and six
back per day, which would be a terrific boom
for Teesside. It does mean that people can
come here and do business safe in the
knowledge that they can get here quickly
and return back to their base quickly. That is
a whole new ball game for our region once
we’ve got the benefit of that service. The
Darlington service is excellent but it’s that
immediacy of connection that makes all the
difference in the world.
TB: With Virgin East Coast having said the
direct service will