The Conservative Party Conference saw Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announce a redirection of HS2 funding.
Billions of pounds are to be redirected from HS2 costs to build the daily connections that people depend on – unlocking potential, driving growth and transforming communities.
The Prime Minister has today [Wednesday 4 October] unveiled his vision to deliver the forms of transport that people use the most. The new plans will aim to improve travel between and within cities and towns, and around local areas. Hoping to benefit more people in more places, more quickly.
The cornerstone of this plan will be Network North which will attempt to drive better connectivity across the North and Midlands with faster journey times, increased capacity and more frequent, reliable services across rail, buses and roads.
£36 billion will be invested in hundreds of transport projects across the country and every region set to receive the same or more transport investment. A further £12 billion on top of this figure will be set aside for faster connectivity between Liverpool and Manchester.
This redirection of funds highlights a fundamental shift in investment towards transport priorities.
More than four million people in cities in the North cannot currently reach their city centre by public transport within half an hour, which the government state is detrimental to productivity and economic growth.
As for HS2, the Government will deliver HS2 between London Euston and the West Midlands as planned. From there, HS2 trains for Manchester, Liverpool and Scotland will join the West Coast Main Line.
Rather than delivering HS2 Phase 2 new line between Birmingham and Manchester, the Prime Minister aims to deliver greater frequency and quality of transport infrastructure across the whole country.
