THE debate about North-South rail investment has been reopened after the Government was accused of starving the Northern region of resources.

The North-East Rail Passengers Committee (RPC) said it was clear the North remained the poor relation when it came to cash being spent on the railways.

Such a divide would hold back the region's social and economic development, the passenger watchdog said.

Earlier this year, the Strategic Rail Authority announced a £60bn ten-year plan aimed at overhauling the rail network and boosting passenger numbers.

Money has been set aside for a long-awaited upgrade of the East Coast Main Line and the plan makes provision for a new North-South high speed link.

But funding is still heavily skewed, with about 70 per cent going to London and the South-East.

The North-East RPC is now teaming up with its North-West counterpart to lobby for more funding.

Both groups are holding a "rail summit" later this week in Leeds where they will discuss priorities for rail investment.

Fran Preston, deputy secretary of the North-East RPC, said the South had been earmarked for major investment, but there was much less on offer for the North.

She said: "This issue is critical for the future of our region given the need for sustainable transport and tourism, regional economic development and also what appears to be an imbalance in terms of investment in the railways with the lion's share going to London and South-Eastern England.

"We do not believe that the south should get less investment, but we certainly believe that the North should get more, especially if its economy is to prosper and grow, and the North-South divide to be narrowed."

In June the North-East RPC took a swipe at the rail authority in evidence to the Commons Transport Select Committee.

It said the authority's criteria for the Trans-Pennine Express and new Northern rail franchise "seemed to be based on providing the minimum service possible".

An authority spokesman said: "We do not accept that there is a North-South divide in railway funding.

"There are different needs in different areas and we apply our resources to best effect."

Overcrowding was much more of an issue in the South-East where there was a much greater need to boost capacity, he said.