St Helen's Star , 16 February 2007
LORD Evans, the former Labour MP, has thrown his weight behind the bid to locate a rail freight terminal at Parkside.
And a new survey shows that an overwhelming majority of MPs favour shifting freight from road to rail.
When presented with the statement, the railway network should be used more to transport freight', 96 per cent of MPs agreed. Only one per cent disagreed with the statement.
The firmest support in Westminster was from Liberal Democrat MPs, of whom 74 per cent strongly agreed with the statement. Not one MP from any party expressed a strong disagreement.
The survey was commissioned by Parkside 2010, an alliance of local and national representatives from charities, community and business groups who are backing plans to develop a new rail freight interchange on the side of the former Parkside Colliery in Newton-le-Willows.
It claims that one of the chief aims of the interchange is to help bring down carbon emissions, by getting more freight delivered by rail throughout the country, reducing congestion on our roads.
The new interchange will also provide a massive boost to the local economy, create in the region of 10,000 new jobs, and enhance the local environment through a new countryside park.
Lord Evans of Parkside, who chairs the Alliance, said: "This survey confirms that there is huge support in Westminster for moving freight onto rail.
"The plans for Parkside are well thought out, and are in one of only a few areas in the country that can deliver this. The Alliance is calling on everybody to now get behind the proposals which will create jobs and improve the local environment".
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