A TRANSPORT strategy to boost the North-East economy has been launched by freight bosses.

The Northern Freight Group wants to take advantage of little-used rail routes, and encourage highways authorities to improve bottleneck junctions and signs on the region's roads.

The group - made up of local and regional authorities, freight companies, port authorities, trade associations and trade unions - outlines its wishes and concerns in its Draft Regional Freight Strategy for the North-East.

Bosses say a greater amount of freight can be moved on the region's railways and are calling for a "joined-up" transport network to help improve economic development.

The launch comes only four months after a report called The Northern Way, drawn up for the Government by regional development agencies, advocated similar improvements.

Malcolm Bingham, Freight Transport Association regional policy manager and chairman of the Northern Freight Group, said: "The North-East may be one of the smallest English regions, but it has a number of major transport corridors running through it and is home to two international airports and a number of well-established cargo-handling ports.

"The regional rail network has the potential to move a greater volume of freight but it is constrained by network capacity, particularly on the East Coast Main Line (ECML).

"The line from Newcastle to Carlisle could be a key alternative for certain flows to the ECML north of Newcastle - the Ashington, Blyth and Tyne Railway is also an alternative to the ECML and could have a significant role to play in freight movement.

"Although the North-East may not be subject to the same levels of road congestion as other regions, the primary route network often suffers from congestion at key junctions and bottlenecks."