Grahame Morris MP Working for Easington
I hope members of the community will stand proud and recognise their achievement, as it is through all of our collective endeavours that rail returned to Horden. Grahame Morris MP
Easington MP Grahame Morris welcomed the opening of Horden Rail Station, thanking all those who have worked and campaigned to keep the project on track.
Mr Morris hailed the campaign as a success, with the first trains arriving into the station on Monday 29 July.
Speaking after the opening of Horden Rail Station Mr Morris said:
“At times this campaign has felt like a war of attrition, having to lobby and question Ministers and funders time and time again.
Anyone who knows the history of the project will know of the delays and setbacks along the way, and the worrying times when it looked as if the rail station might not go ahead.
Our County Councillors, Ian McLean and June Clark, as well as the exceptional project management of the scheme by Ray Brewis, rightly deserve recognition for getting us where we are today.
A new rail station and investment in our community does not happen by chance. It is a collective process taking months and in this case years of development, lobbying, questioning and setbacks.
I would like to thank everyone who has constructively engaged in the process over the years. Despite all the naysayers and those who said it would never happen, I hope members of the community will stand proud and recognise their achievement, as it is through all of our collective endeavours that rail returned to Horden”
The timeline of debates, questions and correspondence.
Debates
County Durham Plan (Westminster Hall Debate) 3 Mar 2015
“For example, the proposed railway station in Horden in my constituency is still in the pipeline—in the planning stage. It would be a considerable boost to tourism, employment and the mobility of labour, but instead, the Government continue to focus on faster rail services, while in east Durham we need greater connectivity to existing lines. We have had a welcome announcement that Pacer trains are finally to be removed from the network.”
Budget Resolutions and Economic Situation 19 Mar 2015
“I cannot think of a policy that costs so much, with estimates ranging from £50 billion to £80 billion, but that delivers so little to my communities. I would like priority to be given to improving our connectivity to major lines, and to increasing rail services as we continue to work towards a new rail stop at Horden, on the Seaview estate. I want the Government to show some commitment, and a sense of urgency, to my constituency and get behind these plans, which are a tiny fraction of the cost of some of the major commitments that have been made.”
Westminster Hall Thursday 25 June 2015 – Older Industrial Areas: Economic Disparities
“In my constituency, I continue to work towards a new rail station at Horden, on the Seaview site. If the Government had shown the same commitment to my area as they do to London, I could press for an integrated public transport system, the extension of Tyne and Wear Metro and improvements to our bus network, which would expand access to a wider labour market for residents. There would be huge economic benefits to the area locally and to the wider economy.”
Transport in the North 06 November 2017
“I welcome the Government’s decision to invest in the new railway station at Horden, which will create much needed links with towns all across the region. However, that needs to be linked with a new fleet of trains and improvements at Seaham station—and of course we need to keep the guard on the train. If we genuinely want to rebalance the economy, an airport congestion charge would help to lower airfares in under-utilised regional airports like our own at Newcastle and Durham Tees Valley while charging a premium to use the most congested and polluting airports like Heathrow. The Metro system is a fantastic service serving the people of Newcastle and Sunderland, but we need it to connect our entire region. I will never stop calling for the Metro to be extended into my constituency. However, this seems like a fanciful dream when we consider that the Government are still haggling over the replacement of the Metro trains, which are 47 years old, and rolling stock that is simply not fit for purpose. The Government need to replace their rhetoric with action.”
Questions
Railway Stations: Horden (584) Asked on: 01 June 2015
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the expected delivery date is for the completion of Horden Railway Station.
Railways: Durham (637) Asked on: 01 June 2015
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what level of investment his Department plans to make in rail services in East Durham over the next five years.
Railways: Durham: (638) 01 June 2015
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he taking to improve rail connectivity to major rail lines from in East Durham.
Railways: Durham: (639) 01 June 2015
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions he has had on investment in the East Durham section of the coastal railway line between Sunderland and Hartlepool.
Transport: Easington: (32863) 08 April 2016
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much funding has been allocated to improve local transport infrastructure in Easington constituency in each of the next five years.
Railway Stations: Horden (32876) 08 April 2016
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what progress has been made on the development of a new railway station at Horden; and when that development is expected to be completed.
Railway Stations: Horden: (38498) Asked on: 25 May 2016
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent discussions he has had about funding the construction of a new rail station at Horden.
Local Growth Deals: Easington: (67544) 13 March 2017
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 9 March 2017 to Question 66290, on employment: disadvantaged, what proportion of funding from the Government’s £12 billion Local Growth Fund has been allocated to Easington constituency to date.
Railways: Durham: (67598) 13 March 2017
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what discussions his Department has had with the Department for Transport on the potential merits of improving rail infrastructure on the Durham heritage coast in order to promote employment opportunities and inward investment in East Durham.
Local Growth Deals: Easington (67545) 13 March 2017
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 8 March 2017 to Questions 66289 and 66310, on manufacturing industries: Durham, how much of the £379.6 million has been invested in (a) Peterlee and (b) Easington constituency to date.
Local Enterprise Partnerships (69543) 28 March 2017
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of local enterprise partnerships in delivering employment, growth and investment (a) nationally, (b) in the North East and (c) in Easington constituency.
Railway Stations: Finance (6217) 19 July 2017
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the timetable is for the announcement of successful bids to the New Station Fund.
Railways: North East: (171346) 06 September 2018
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will bring forward proposals for the electricification of the Durham Coast Line to facilitate the future expansion of Tyne and Wear metro services into the Easington constituency.
Railways: Easington (238325) 28 March 2019
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will take steps to improve regional rail connectivity in the Easington constituency through funding the expansion of the Tyne and Wear Metro into East Durham.
Transport: North East (8234) 27 January 2020
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if the Government will undertake a review of transport infrastructure to identify schemes with the aim of improving (a) regional connectivity, (b) economic performance and (c) employment opportunities in (i) the North East and (ii) Easington constituency.
Correspondence
