CONTROVERSIAL plans for a £10billion rail freight line running through parts of Kent from the north west of England to the continent have been stopped in their tracks.

The Government has announced that it is not prepared to support the project that had been proposed by the private consortium Central Railway.

Transport minister Kim Howells said the Government would not now agree to back a Parliamentary Bill, which was crucial for the scheme to go ahead.

He said ministers were not convinced Central Railway had the cash needed to build the dedicated freight line and the Government was reluctant to risk having to bail it out with public money.

The line would have cut a swathe through many sections of the county, notably parts of the Weald and north Ashford, including Staplehurt, Marden and Headcorn as well as Tonbridge.

It had been opposed in most of the areas it would have run through and Kent County Council, along with other district and borough councils, did not want it to go ahead.

Mr Howells said: “Central Railway claimed no call would be made on the public purse. However, once the Government agreed to promote a Bill, inescapably it would be taken to be backing the project. Should initial finance not be raised or the project run into difficulty, the Government could not escape pressure to intervene.”

Central Railway, which forecast the line would allow five million lorries to be taken off the roads, said the announcement had taken the company by surprise.

A spokesman said: “We have not decided what we intend to do but if the Government won’t back a Bill, then we can’t build it. We were never going to be in a position of guaranteeing the money completely but were looking at whether that could be the case.”

Kent County Council welcomed the news. Cllr Alex King (Con) cabinet member for regeneration, said: “We felt at the outset this scheme was a financial non-starter and our assessment has proved correct. We now need to concentrate on getting a much better railway service for Kent residents and businesses from the Integrated Rail Franchise.”

He accepted there was a “pressing need” to get freight traffic off Kent’s motorways and main roads. “We will continue to lobby the Government on this.”