§ 12. Mr. Adleyasked the Secretary of State for Transport if he will assess the performance achieved by, and investment involved in, the French TGV trains with a view to seeing what lessons can be learnt in the United Kingdom from French experience; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. David MitchellI have followed the development of the TGV with interest and I have travelled on it myself. But I believe the most cost-effective and successful way to improve high-speed rail travel in this country is fully to exploit our existing routes, rather than to build new ones.
§ Mr. AdleyDoes my hon. Friend accept that if we had invested rather more on the APT than the one twentieth of the sum that the French have spent on the TGV we could have precisely what he suggests—a train that can travel at those speeds without having to build new railways? Are the Government planning to do anything to fund BR's investment programme in new technology?
§ Mr. MitchellThat is a matter for British Rail. The APT will come into service shortly on an experimental basis. It should be remembered that BR runs more trains at over 100 miles an hour than does France.
§ Mr. Ron LewisWhen the experiment that the Minister talks about starts up, will he ensure that the train makes a number of stops between London and Glasgow, including Carlisle?
§ Mr. MitchellNo, Sir. I should not wish to interfere in the detailed management of British Railways.