Senior
ministers
are
reported
to
be
protesting
at
the
prospect
of
HS2
north
of
Birmingham
being
axed
by
the
Prime
Minister.
The
announcement
of
the
cost-cutting
measure
is
said
to
be
likely
just
days
before
the
Conservative
Party
conference
begins
in
Manchester
on
Sunday.
The
Independent
alleges
that
transport
secretary
Mark
Harper
is
‘very
unhappy’
about
the
plan,
along
with
levelling
up
secretary
Michael
Gove.
If
so,
they
will
be
agreeing
with
former
chancellor
George
Osborne
and
ex-Deputy
Prime
Minister
Lord
Heseltine,
who
have
already
said
cutting
Phases
2a
and
2b
would
be
a
‘gross
act
of
vandalism’
which
would
amount
to
‘economic
self-harm’.

Increase
in
leisure
travel
prompts
longer
Sunday
trains

LNER
is
strengthening
its
Sunday
services
from
December,
in
response
to
a
30
per
cent
increase
in
the
number
of
passengers
travelling
at
the
weekend.
Three
more
trains
will
run,
two
between
Leeds
and
London
and
one
to
and
from
Doncaster.
Eight
existing
Sunday
trains
serving
Leeds,
Harrogate
or
Lincoln
will
be
formed
of
nine
or
10-car
Azuma
sets
instead
of
five.

Disruption
warning
on
Great
Eastern
line

Weekend
train
services
in
Essex
and
central
London
will
be
disrupted
from
next
month
until
early
December,
as
work
continues
on
the
construction
of
Beaulieu
Park
station
in
Chelmsford.
Replacement
buses
will
run
between
Chelmsford
and
Witham,
Shenfield
or
Shenfield
on
either
Saturdays
or
Sundays
between
8
October
and
10
December.
There
will
be
a
two-day
engineering
possession
with
no
services
running
on
28
and
29
October
between
Shenfield
and
Witham.
In
addition,
the
Elizabeth
Line
will
be
closed
on
Sunday
8
October
east
of
Paddington,
on
the
Shenfield
and
Abbey
Wood
routes.
More
details
from

Greater
Anglia.