Rishi Sunak has cancelled the HS2 project segment between Birmingham and Manchester, a decision that critics say hampers the “levelling-up” initiative.
The Prime Minister has plans to reallocate the £36bn saved from this move to support numerous other transport projects throughout the UK.
While addressing his party’s conference in Manchester, the Prime Minister mentioned that the HS2 project costs had surged by over twofold.
Sunak clarified that the railway scheme will now extend to Euston in central London instead of ending at Old Oak Common in London’s west. He emphasized his commitment to managing the project’s financial aspects, highlighting that the revised Euston plan will cut expenses by £6.5 billion compared to the original HS2 design.
John Dickie from the advocacy group BusinessLDN commented, “The government’s decision to only complete half of the new north-south railway is unexpected and disheartening.
There seems to be minimal collaboration with the business sector to find ways to minimize costs and boost private funding. This move undermines the extensive growth, equal opportunities, and sustainability benefits that the HS2 project could have brought to numerous communities nationwide.”
The Prime Minister has declared the Government’s endorsement for numerous transportation initiatives following the discontinuation of HS2 beyond Birmingham.
Rishi Sunak has committed to reallocating the entire £36bn, previously set for HS2, into multiple new transport endeavors in the North, the Midlands, and throughout the nation.
This encompasses the launch of the so-called Network North, focusing on enhancing roads, railways, and bus networks.
In his address to the Conservative Party gathering, he highlighted several projects:
- An electric rail line from Manchester leads to new stations in Bradford (30 minutes), Sheffield (42 minutes), and Hull (84 minutes).
- A guaranteed £12 billion to establish a connection between Manchester and Liverpool as originally envisioned.
- The construction of the Midlands Rail Hub linking 50 train stations.
- Expansion of the West Midlands Metro.
- Introduction of a tram system in Leeds.
- Electrification of the North Wales Mainline.
- Maintenance of the £2 limit on individual bus fares all over England.
- Upgrades for the A1, A2, A5, and M6 highways.
- Enhancements to the A75 to fortify connectivity between Scotland and Northern Ireland.
- Funding for the envisaged Shipley Bypass in Bradford, the Blyth Relief Road in Northumberland, along with 70 additional road projects.
- Comprehensive road resurfacing nationwide.
- Revival of the Don Valley rail route between Sheffield and Stocksbridge in South Yorkshire.
- Augmentations to the Energy Coast rail route connecting Carlisle, Workington, and Barrow in Cumbria.
- Development of numerous other projects.
