HS2
between
Birmingham
and
Manchester


has
been
replaced
by
numerous
transport
projects,
including
some
road
improvements
as
well
as
railway
electrification,
a
new
tram
system
and
an
extension
of
the
£2
maximum
bus
fare.
The improvements
have
been
dubbed
‘Network
North’
but
they
include
many
schemes
elsewhere
in
England
as
well
as
some
in
north
Wales
and
south
west
Scotland.

The
axeing
of
Phases
2A
and
2B
of
HS2
to
Crewe
and
Manchester
by
the
Prime
Minister
was
widely
expected,
and
his
decision
was
greeted
with
applause
on
the
last
day
of
the
Conservative
Party
Conference
on
Manchester
yesterday,
but
there has
been
widespread
criticism
of
his
decision.

Rishi
Sunak
said:
‘The
facts
have
changed.
And
the
right
thing
to
do
when
the
facts
change,
is
to
have
the
courage
to
change
direction.
And
so,
I
am
ending
this
long
running
saga.
I
am
cancelling
the
rest
of
the
HS2
project.’

However,
the
section
of
Phase
1
between
OId
Oak
Common
and
London
Euston
is
back
on
the
agenda,
although
Mr
Sunak
is
making
one
major
reform.

He
said:
‘The
management
of
HS2
will
no
longer
be
responsible
for
the
Euston
site.
There
must
be
some
accountability
for
the
mistakes
made,
for
the
mismanagement
of
this
project.
We
will
instead
create
a
new
Euston
development zone,
building
thousands
of
new
homes
for
the
next
generation
of
homeowners,
new
business
opportunities
and
a
station
that
delivers
the
capacity
we
need.
And
in
doing
so,
for
the
first
time
in
the
life
cycle
of
this
project
–
we
will
have cut
costs.
The
£6.5
billion
of
savings
that
Mark
[Harper]
and
I
are
making
will
be
taken
from
the
Euston
site
and
given
to
the
rest
of
the
country.’

National
Infrastructure
Commission
chair
and
former
Network
Rail
chief
executive
Sir
John
Armitt
said:
‘High
Speed
2
was
part
of
a
long
term
strategy
with
clear
objectives
to
link
up
some
of
the
country’s
largest
cities.
It
had
been planned
for
almost
15
years
and
under
construction
since
2017.

‘The
decision
to
stop
the
legs
north
and
east
of
Birmingham
is
deeply
disappointing,
leaving
a
major
gap
in
the
UK’s
rail
strategy
around
which
a
number
of
city
regions
have
been
basing
their
economic
growth
plans.

‘A
High
Speed
2
route
between
Manchester
and
London
via
Birmingham,
alongside
Northern
Powerhouse
Rail,
would
have
enabled
increased
capacity
and
better
connectivity
both
north-south
and
east-west.
While
it
is
welcome
that
the money
will
be
redirected
into
rail
and
other
transport
projects
for
the
North
and
Midlands,
it’s
not
yet
clear
how
the
collection
of
schemes
announced
today
will
address
the
gap
left
behind.’

Major
HS2
contractors
including
Arup,
Siemens
and
Mace
had
launched
a
last-minute
bid
to
convince
Mr
Sunak
not
to
cancel
HS2
to
Manchester,
saying
savings
could
be
made
and
private
investment
found.
They
were
supported
by West
Midlands
Mayor
Andy
Street,
who
is
a
Conservative,
but
Mr
Sunak
went
ahead
with
an
emergency
cabinet
meeting
in
Manchester
before
announcing
that
the
axe
would
fall.

Mr
Street,
who
will
not
be
resigning
from
the
Conservative
Party,
according
to
reports,
said
he
was
‘very
disappointed’.
On
Monday,
Mr
Street
had
said
axing
the
Manchester
leg
would
amount
to
‘cancelling
the
future’,
and
he
has
now said
he
will
continue
to
work
with
the
private
sector
to
see
if
Phases
2A
and
2B
could
be
restarted.

Midlands
Connect
chairman
Sir
John
Peace
said:
‘We
are
disappointed
and
disheartened.’
But
he
added:
‘We
must
not
start
from
scratch,
we
must
work
…
to
deliver
HS2
Phase
1
all
the
way
to
Euston.
There
are
also
lessons
to
be learnt
from
the
HS2
story
so
far.
The
Midlands
Rail
Hub
and
road
programmes
including
the
A5
which
have
been
announced
today
resonate
with
us.
These
are
our
transformational
East-West
priorities
for
the
region,
which
we recommended
and
have
been
progressing
with
Government.
We
are
now
calling
for
more
detail
on
timescales
and
plan
of
action,
and
asking
for
a
high-level
urgent
meeting
with
ministers.’

The
private
sector
lobby
group
Rail
Partners
said
the
decision
‘will
have
consequences
felt
for
generations
by
the
rail
industry,
its
supply
chain,
passengers
and
freight
customers’.
Rail
Partners
chief
executive
Andy
Bagnall
continued: ‘While
reinvestment
in
other
regional
rail
schemes
is
a
significant
consolation,
the
decision
to
reduce
investment
in
rail
and
divert
funds
to
road
schemes
feels
counterintuitive
as
we
look
to
attract
people
to
move
away
from
carbon intensive
modes
of
transport.’

Some
of
the
rail
projects
announced
by
the
Prime
Minister
include
electrification
between
Selby
and
Hull
and
between
Crewe
and
Holyhead.
A
new
station
will
be
built
in
Bradford,
and
the
Midlands
Rail
Hub
will
go
ahead,
while Cullompton
and
Wellington
stations
in
Devon
and
Somerset
will
be
reopened.
Also
in
Devon,
the
8km
line
from
Bere
Alston
to
Tavistock
will
be
rebuilt
to
restore
train
services
between
Tavistock
and
Plymouth.
The
long-discussed scheme
to
build
a
tram
system
in
Leeds
is
being
revived
and
there
will
be
more
extensions
to
West
Midlands
Metro,
while
there
will
be
improvements
to
Ely
junction
in
East
Anglia,
which
will
help
rail
freight.

Great
Western
Main
Line
electrification
could
be
revived
to
Bristol
Temple
Meads
with
the
help
of
a
£100
million
grant
to
the
West
of
England
Combined
Authority,
which
covers
Bristol,
Bath,
south
Gloucestershire
and
north
east
Somerset.

On
the
roads,
the
£2
maximum
bus
fare
in
England
outside
London
will
now
be
continued
until
the
end
of
next
year,
and
there
will
be
more
than
70
road
schemes,
including
upgrades
to
the
A1,
A2,
A5
and
the
M6.
The
A75
to
Stranraer will
also
be
improved,
and
there
will
be
funding
for
the
Shipley
bypass
and
a
relief
road
at
Blyth.

Former
transport
minister
Norman
Baker
of
the
charity
Campaign
for
Better
Transport
said:
‘This
ragtag
and
bobtail
selection
of
bits
and
pieces,
some
of
which
no
doubt
have
merit,
will
not
compensate
for
the
hammer
blow
that
has been
delivered
today.
By
cancelling
the
Northern
leg
of
HS2,
the
Prime
Minister
has
taken
much
needed
rail
investment
and
ploughed
it
into
yet
more
roads.
The
roads
budget
is
already
bloated,
and
today’s
announcement
simply diverts
money
from
a
sustainable
transport
future
into
unsustainable
and
unchecked
traffic
growth.’

RMT
general
secretary
Mick
Lynch
said:
‘The
incompetence
of
successive
Tory
governments
has
now
cost
the
taxpayer
billions
and
led
to
this
disastrous
decision
for
Britain’s
economy,
environment
and
our
ailing
transport infrastructure.
High
Speed
rail
together
with
a
modern
expanding
public
transport
network
is
key
to
the
future
of
linking
every
part
of
our
country
together,
from
north
to
south
and
East
to
West.

‘Public
transport
investment
is
not
an
either-or
question.
The
fact
is
we
will
not
be
able
to
tackle
the
climate
emergency
without
encouraging
people
to
use
modern,
cheap
and
efficient
high
speed
rail
and
hugely
expanded
local
bus services.
The
key
to
thriving
economies
of
the
future
is
to
be
environmentally
sustainable
and
to
interconnect
cities,
towns
and
villages
to
promote
economic
activity. 

‘The
Conservative
government
is
playing
political
games
ahead
of
an
election
and
instead
of
investing
properly
in
Britain’s
public
transport
and
high
speed
future,
Rishi
Sunak
risks
putting
the
country
in
the
slow
lane.’