DR ASHOK Kumar MP is to hold talks with Transport Minister Kim Howells in a bid to prevent cuts to train services between Saltburn and Newcastle.

The Strategic Rail Authority plans to axe almost all the existing service, claiming it is under-used and does not tie in with other main line services.

But Dr Kumar, member for Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland, said figures compiled by the North-East Rail Monitoring Group showed passenger numbers on the route had increased by 22pc over the last year. The number of rail passengers travelling between Middlesbrough and Newcastle had also risen by 24pc.

Dr Kumar will meet Mr Howells on Monday, February 2, when he will also hand over a petition containing almost 5,000 signatures calling for the full service to be retained.

He said: "I am glad we have now finally got a date for this meeting. I can demonstrate graphically to Kim Howells the degree of support there is for the retention of this transport lifeline.

"I also think it is important to show that these services are both popular and have huge potential for being expanded even further.

"To have a passenger increase of nearly a quarter between Teesside and Tyneside shows how nonsensical it is to propose cutting back services that people want and use. It is simply to improve the time slots for Virgin's cross-country services, which have only marginal importance for the North-East."

He added that the proposed cuts went against Government policy to promote public transport as a way of halting road congestion and accidents.

"In a rational world, the proposals from the Strategic Rail Authority would never have seen the light of day, and I will be asking the minister to use his powers to see that these ideas are sent back to the deep hole they came from."